What Happened
Last night the Canadian Province of Nova Scotia was hit with heavy rainfall, primarily focused around the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), but with rainfall affecting the entire province. In some areas upwards of 200mm (7.9in) of rain was recorded across just a few hours. Near the town of Bedford, evacuation orders were given as a dam in the St. Croix River system was overflowing, and threatening to breach. Nova Scotians in the area in the early hours of this morning received an alert to their phone, stating residents in the area must evacuate. Residents were also told to call 911 if they were unable to evacuate, in order for the RCMP to assist with evacuation. Two civic centres nearby were opened up to host evacuees.
Shared: Dam Overflow Alert – Parts of Nova Scotia https://t.co/oZuQnfHNF7 pic.twitter.com/vOfkL5iBqD
— Nova Scotia EMO (@nsemo) July 22, 2023
A number of roads have been declared impassable due to the severity of flooding, some of which suffered damage. A number of residents have also reported losing the sections of their driveways which connect to the street.
Halifax drivers told to ‘stay off the roads’ as flooding causes significant damage https://t.co/4LKzlPbJ6t pic.twitter.com/cA7waxbqdJ
— Global National (@GlobalNational) July 22, 2023
Before flooding began, a thunderstorm rolled through the province, knocking out power for over 70,000 people. Nova Scotia Power (NSP), as of 9:15 Atlantic time, had managed to restore power to 30,000 people, leaving 40,000 without power.
While rain has halted in some areas, it is expected to continue in some areas until this evening or even tomorrow in the Eastern area of the province. According to Environment Canada, an additional 40-100mm (1.6-3.9in) is expected to fall, varying by area, before the storm is over.
Why it Matters
Over the past few months Nova Scotia, like much of Canada, has been suffering from widespread wildfires. In Nova Scotia, firefighters from across Canada and the world were brought in to assist with firefighting efforts due to the severity. With the province now being struck with flooding, Nova Scotia is witnessing significant ecological and infrastructural damage.
Hwy 215 in South Maitland in a photo sent to me to use. #nsstorm #EastHants pic.twitter.com/aotmDZCp12
— The Laker News – Pat Healey ?? (@ReprtrPatHealey) July 22, 2023
A Larger Trend..?
Nova Scotia Power storm lead Matt Drover has stated that storms are not only becoming more frequent, but more severe. Much of Nova Scotia’s summer thus far has been rainy and foggy. While the East Coast is certainly no stranger to rain and fog, and the rain was a welcome break from the widespread fires, Drover has stated that ” We have seen on our system, definitely more frequency and more intense storms than we ever have before”.
The sentiment was echoed by CBC Meteorologist Ryan Snodden, who stated that within Halifax it was the heaviest rainfall the city had seen since 1971.