As winters go in southern Ontario, this year’s has been a breeze so far, but it hasn’t always been so.
Let's look back at some of those winters where we experienced some of our worst winter storms. I will, for the most part, stick to the past century and leave an examination of the 1800s to another column.
We all know Canada is often called the Great White North and there is a historical basis to this. In the past it was indeed a rare winter season when one’s day-to-day life was not affected at some point by the winter elements, with snowstorms sometimes putting a complete halt on our everyday lives.
I can remember some incredible snowfalls in my life span, and I am certain you can, as well. As a child, I loved playing in the snow and ice, while praying it would just keep snowing, saving me from the need to head off to school. I grew up, as many of us did, listening to the family tale of how Grandma or Mom used to walk 20 miles to school through 10 feet of snow barefoot. Now I catch myself interjecting the same stories when I do presentations at schools and youth clubs.
During the past century, Canadians have seen their fair share of high wind, snow squalls, ice storms, and whiteouts, often made worse when we get a combination of these elements. In this column, I'll examine some of the worst weather events we have experienced in recent history.
The Old Uxbridge Trail wound its way from Yonge Street to the east via Vivian and was used by newly arrived Quaker families, including my own kin. In the winter of 1804, they would trek east to Uxbridge on snowshoes. They left behind stories of how torturous the trek was and how it discouraged many of these new families upon arrival.
The Gorham mill provided essential goods for the settlement of Newmarket. The winter temperatures were documented as rugged even indoors, and they talked about experiencing real snow. They needed substantial clothing and the mill of Mr. Gorham turned out just the kinds of flannels and woollen blankets our new inhabitants needed.
From a report in Ethel Trewhella’s History of the Town of Newmarket, we know that in the spring of 1816, April and May were unusually cold with frost delaying the spring planting. Flowers were late to bloom and many of the fruit trees had their budding leaves and flowers killed by a hard frost. From June 5 to 9, severe frost occurred every night. During the summer, warm days alternated with severe cold, so any replanted crops were killed off. Severe cold in the middle of August and September put a finish to any remaining crops.
This led to no wheat for flour. There were no vegetables. The daily diet consisted of fish, venison, and even porcupine and groundhog. The deep-crusted snow that winter led to the deer being easy prey for hunters, facilitating survival. There was no hay to feed the livestock, so the cattle were slaughtered, providing a supply of fresh beef and a measure of variation in what would have been a monotonous diet.
When one considers the long winter treks back then, any roads that existed obliterated by snow, it is easy to see our ancestors had to be made of stern stuff.
In many cases, the heavy snow that covered the roofs of local wood buildings would often serve to protect them when the inevitable fires came a-calling, as they frequently did.
Documents also show the joy we experienced during the heavy winter snow. We hear of how the local drivers were a jolly lot, singing and telling jokes, while the horses made their way through the snow easily, sleigh bells jingling and iron runners squeaking on the snow. The children would cling to the backs of the sleighs, laughing with merriment. (Trewhella’s History of the Town of Newmarket)
Adding to this atmosphere was the glow of the oil lamps casting light over the snowy walks. There were no electric lights.
Bad weather plagued our local transportation system. During the winters, large snow plows were attached to the front of the engines of the Metropolitan Railway cars that serviced Toronto to Sutton. A snow delay was a common occurrence, according to the testimony of many I have interviewed.
It was in 1864 that a daily line of stage coachess, including the transport of mail, was inaugurated between Newmarket and Sutton. It is said roads were hazardous from the deep snow of winter and were almost impassable in spring due to the mud that frequently reached to the axles of the coach or the stirrups of the circuit riders.
When it snowed, you were usually isolated for weeks, huddled in a wooden structure with a meagre hearth to keep you warm. It would seem we have little to complain about today, really.
Let us turn to more recent snow events that have proven to be memorable. In December 1944, Toronto set a record for the most snowfall in a single day with 47 centimetres. Typically, the weather forecasters initially predicted two to four inches of snow, but the region was blanketed with 22 inches in two days. Huge gale-force winds created large drifts resulting in snow-covered streets to close temporarily, and 21 people died locally.
Weather events that occur around us tend to find their way to our doors as part of an aftershock. Montreal’s "storm of the century" on March 4, 1971 is one of the largest ever recorded. A combination of 47 cm of snowfall and 110 km/h winds caused massive two-storey snowdrifts and left some areas without electricity for 10 days and, and more than 500,000 truckloads of snow were eventually hauled out of the city.
We were also affected by the Niagara blizzard of Jan. 29, 1977, when the region declared an emergency after the entire Niagara Peninsula was covered with massive piles of snow accompanied by 80 km/h wind for days.
The ice storm of 1998 left entire streets coated in 10 cm of thick ice. It was at once beautiful and unreal, but it did result in 100 cm of snow along with five days of freezing rain and ice pellets between Jan. 4 and 10. You will likely remember all the toppled telephone poles and power lines, which left one million people across eastern Ontario without power, some for up to a month.
We all remember Toronto calling in the army on Jan. 9, 1999, having received 39 cm of snow, and the snow kept falling for weeks. Dubbed by mayor Mel Lastman as Toronto’s “snowstorm of the century,” it resulted in the mayor calling for military assistance to clear the roads. Total snowfall for January that year was recorded as 118 cm, more than Toronto typically receives over two years. Everything was closed and it seemed to take forever to clean up.
In 2013, winter arrived early and never seemed to leave. It was reported Ontario broke records for the coldest temperatures and for most consecutive days of snow on the ground. You will remember the storm hit us just prior to Christmas, resulting in ice-covered trees, streets and roads. In fact, everything was covered in ice and snow, with snow banks standing more than two metres tall.
Toronto has recorded several more significant snow events in addition to these. I have listed five more below. These events are courtesy of Environment Canada recorded at Pearson Airport, and the CBC archives.
The worst snowstorms in Toronto since 1938:
- Feb. 25, 1965: 39.9 cm
- Jan. 23, 1966: 36 cm (dubbed at the time ‘the big storm’ and called the most “expensive snowstorm ever.” (The Toronto Star)
- Nov. 30, 1940: 33.5 cm
- March 10, 1964: 32.3 cm and an estimated 17 million tons of snow (reported in imperial tons; Canada hadn’t yet switched to metric).
- Nov. 24, 1950: 30.5 cm
While I am enjoying this mild winter, I know we have suffered in the past and I am sure we will be revisited with heavy winter weather again, so we should enjoy it while we can. When you are looking back on winters you have known, be sure to tell your children or grandchildren about 2023-24 and the spring we had in winter. The real question is, will they believe you?
For those who are interested in more information on Toronto and this area’s snowfalls, I suggest an incredible site I used extensively for this column. It is called Toronto — Extreme Daily Snowfall for Each Year and features a list of yearly records for the heaviest snowfalls and snowiest days in Toronto and gives the highest daily snowfall of each year in Toronto and the date it occurred. These records go back to 1847. Since then, the most amount of snow to land in one day in Toronto is 48.3 cm (19 inches) on Dec. 11, 1944. Visit Toronto ON Biggest Snowfall for Each Year — Current Results for more information.
Additional sources: Environment and Climate Change Canada. Historical Climate Data. Historical Data; Canada's worst snowstorms by Jackie Campbell Canada's worst winter storms of the past century - Cottage Life; A look at some of the biggest Canadian winter storms of the past 65 years; CBC News — CBC archives; History of the Town of Newmarket by Ethel Trewhella; Oral histories conducted by Richard MacLeod.
Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, has been a local historian for more than 40 years. He writes a weekly feature about our town’s history in partnership with Newmarket Today, conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, and leads local oral history interviews.
