On This Day 21 Years Ago - The Blizzard and Flood of 1997 Still Remembered
InstantWeatherIf you were living in Winnipeg or Southern Manitoba on this day, twenty-one years ago you will likely remember when a blizzard of historical proportions hit the region bringing the City of Winnipeg to a halt. This particular potent Colorado Low packed a punch dumping nearly 50 cm across Southern Manitoba while Winnipeg was hit with a whopping 48 cm within a 24 hour period, creating treacherous driving and white out conditions.
The storm lasted three days forcing motorists to abandon their vehicles, flights were cancelled, businesses and school were closed, city transit buses remained parked while emergency services struggled to navigate their way to distress calls.
Prior to this massive storm, flood forecasters anticipated moderate flooding for the Red River Valley but were unprepared for the historical event that transpired in the coming weeks. Forecasters calculate the level of likelihood for flooding using precipitation levels from previous wet years, current snow-pack, river levels and the rate at which the snow is expected to melt in the spring months. This data allows forecasters to determine the risk level as low, moderate or high. As weeks progressed officials knew they were up against a possible worst case scenario.
(The grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building under water. Photo Credit: City of Winnipeg)
Manitobans watched in fear as reports began to stream in the Red River had over spilled its banks in Grand Forks, ND forcing residents to evacuate with little or no time to pack. Grand Forks was left in ruins as most of the downtown and city were under several feet of water creating a critical emergency situation for the area.
Fears quickly became reality when the water made its way further north literally wiping out the quiet town of St. Agathe, MB where residents were ill prepared nor equipped with a ring dike to protect the community. Sandbagging efforts seemed futile as homes and business were submerged forcing hundreds to flee the town.
Winnipeg was spared major flooding due to the construction of the Red River Floodway decades ago commissioned by Duff Roblin that diverted the large volumes of water away from the city. The City of Winnipeg dodged a bullet as water levels did reach dangerously high levels in the floodway. A ‘nail bitter’ was how a now retired senior flood forecaster Alf Warkentin described the situation.
The Flood of 1997 was a reality check for many towns to better prepare themselves in the future by building ring dikes, prepping sandbags in late winter and building homes away from flood prone areas. The flood also forced flood forecasters and officials to re-evaluate the effectiveness of the floodway, thereby adding further additions to protect the City of Winnipeg and surrounding areas.
IWC (Suzanne P.)
References: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/multimedia/fp-slideshow/Loooking-back-The-Blizzard-of-1997-418416243.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/1997-blizzard-flood-manitoba-1.3521262
https://www.chvnradio.com/news/winnipeggers-look-back-at-the-1997-blizzard