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Thirteen years later Hurricane Juan remains one of the most powerful and damaging storms to affect Canada.

From the archives: Destructive and deadly Hurricane Juan


Digital writers
theweathernetwork.com

Thursday, September 29, 2016, 11:18 AM - At 12:10 a.m. ADT on Monday September 29, 2003, Hurricane Juan made landfall in Nova Scotia between Shad Bay and Prospect. 


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Juan arrived as a Category 2 storm and ripped northward through the province, weakening quickly as tropical cyclones do over land, arriving in Prince Edward Island as a marginal hurricane. Juan claimed the lives of eight individuals. 

Hurricane Juan will be recorded as the most damaging storm in modern history for Halifax, N.S. (as measured by the widespread tree blow downs, power outages, and damaged homes). 

Hundreds of thousands of Maritimers in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island lost power when the storm passed Sunday night. NS Power reported that the last of their affected customers had power restored by the morning of Sunday October 12 - just short of two weeks later.

The last time that the city of Halifax was hit by the eastern eyewall of a hurricane (the worst winds in such a storm) was on August 22, 1893, when a Category 3 (sustained winds of about 180 km/h) storm made landfall in St. Margaret's Bay near 3.00 a.m. ADT.


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Hurricane Juan: Quick facts

  • Juan began as Tropical Depression #15 about 470 km southeast of Bermuda at noon ADT, Thursday September 25. Six hours later it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Juan. 
  • 24 hours after being declared to be a tropical depression, Juan became a hurricane 255 km east of Bermuda. 
  • Detailed investigation indicates that the storm's strength was a Category 2 hurricane… 85 knots (158 km/h) sustained with gusts to over 100 knots (185 km/h). Estimated diameter of the hurricane eye at landfall is 35 km (from Hubbards to the west end of Halifax). 
  • Estimated central pressure of Juan at landfall was 973mb. 
  • The storm tracked almost due north, crossing the Northumberland Strait around 3 a.m. ADT (near or over the eastern portion of the Confederation Bridge) and crossed Prince Edward Island (landfall close to or east of Borden) in less than an hour. 
  • The highest sustained winds (2 minute mean) recorded by a land station were 151 km/h at McNab's Island, in Halifax Harbour, with gusts to 176 km/h at 12:24 a.m. ADT (communication failure at the McNab's site prevented weather office from seeing this data until later). 
  • The maximum wind core (eastern eyewall) went right over Halifax Harbour. 
  • Rainfall amounts in the vicinity of 25 to 40 mm (from Juan only) were reported from around the Halifax Regional Municipality. 
  • Storm surge values ranged from around 1.0 metre (as far west as Mahone Bay) to 1.5 metres (measured by a tide gauge in Halifax Harbour) to more than 1.5 metres in Cow Bay (based on damage). Halifax harbour recorded an all time record water level of 290 cm which resulted in extensive flooding of the Halifax waterfront properties. 

Source: Environment Canada

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