Ice Storm Science• Three successive warm air masses flow north from the Gulf• Cold air in the north under-rides the three approaching warm, moist air masses• Water vapor from the warm air masses condenses to form clouds• This water vapor condenses onto ice crystals until they are heavy enough to fall• The falling crystals melt into rain as they pass through the warm air mass• The rain forms super-cooled water droplets when passing through the under-riding cold

air mass, and then freeze immediately upon contact with the ground

What made this storm unique?

Up to 100mm of ice fell from Jan 5th-9th.

The unusually long duration of the storm was due to:

1. Succession of warm moist Gulf air

2. The positioning of the Bermuda high off the Atlantic coast

3. El Niño

General Effects of Storm• Effects felt in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland• Also felt in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Upstate NY• Most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history• Over $7 billion in damages• 35 deaths

• 5 million people lost power, including half the population of Quebec, 1/3 the population of Ottawa, and 600,000 in Ontario

• Power outages lasted up to 35 days• Damages occurred to over 30,000 power poles, 5,000 transformers and

1,000 steel pylons• Damages in Quebec alone amounted to $800 million

Farms, Trees and Schools• Over 20,000 farms effected• Damages occurred to livestock, poultry,

maple groves, and apple orchards• 13.5 million liters of milk had to be dumped

($7.8 million)• Millions of trees damaged and destroyed• On Mt. Royal alone 80% of the trees were

damaged and clean-up cost over $15 million• Some schools closed for up to 23 days

The Aftermath• People pulled together- volunteering, fundraising etc.• Shelters were set up• Red Cross assistance• Police patrol was increased• Military troops were called in to help fix the damage• Restored water, then telephones, then power• Weeks were required to remove all of the ice

“modern citizens [were] forced to revert to the ancient status of hunter-gatherers”

We are “hostages to electricity”