April ice storm caused $85M in insurance claims in Ontario, Quebec
The nasty mixture of snow, freezing rain and ice pellets, which struck the region from April 14 through April 16, caused $85 million in insured damage, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reported.
The ice storm brought more than 72.6 mm of rain to the Waterloo region over that weekend. The three days nearly matched the total output normally seen in a month (74.5 mm) in the area.
Over 145,000 homes were left without power and a housing development in the Niagara area was also laid to waste, the IBC reports.
The OPP reported over 1,600 crashes across the province of Ontario, where most of the claims occurred.
Despite the fact there was even a 50-car pileup in the Barrie, Ont., area, most of the claims were made via households, the IBC reports.
The ice storm, as well as last Friday’s wild windstorm, continues a trend of nasty weather southern Ontario has faced over the past 18 months.
In February, water and wind damage created more than $40 million in claims, the IBC reported.
Just a month earlier, Southwestern Ontario including Toronto was hit with another winter storm which caused almost $10 million in damages.
Five other major events in 2017 caused millions of dollars worth of damage in the region, including the flooding in the Windsor area in August 2017, which left $160 million in damage and a windstorm which hit the Hamilton/Niagara area (over $100 million).
