Ice storm of 1998: freezing rain began falling 25 years ago today
Posted January 4, 2023 12:22 pm.
It’s been called the storm of the century.
Twenty-five years ago – on Jan. 4, 1998 – the first wave of freezing rain began falling on southeastern Quebec, eastern Ontario and parts of the Maritimes.
For an entire week, until Jan. 10., nearly five million Canadians were battered by three successive waves of freezing rain.
The “Ice Storm of ’98” covered everything in a thick layer of ice. Millions were left without power. Some people were without electricity for more than 30 days.
At least 30 people died as a result of the storm.
The Canadian Forces sent in 16,000 troops – the largest peacetime deployment in the military’s history.
The Canadian Red Cross ran about 300 shelters and provided emergency aid during the storm.
The storm was one of the most expensive natural disasters in Canadian history – as measured by insurance payouts – costing upwards of $2 billion.
The storm was caused by a moisture-laden front from the Gulf of Mexico stalling over Arctic air on the ground.
—With files from The Canadian Press
