Canadian Tropical Cyclone Season Summary for 2007

Prepared by: Peter Bowyer

Two tropical cyclones or their remnants entered the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) Response Zone (RZ) in 2007.

Post-tropical Storm Chantal passed over southeastern Newfoundland while Post-tropical Storm Noel tracked through the Maritimes and Labrador. Both Chantal and Noel were destructive post-tropical cyclones for eastern Canada: Chantal with intense rains of 200 mm and Noel with hurricane-force winds (135 km/h) and powerful coastal waves. One Canadian fatality was attributed to Noel. No tropical storm watches or warnings were issued. The CHC issued a total of 48 information statements on four separate tropical systems.

Chantal (July 31–August 2)

Tropical Depression 3 entered the RZ in the late evening of July 30. It was quickly upgraded to Tropical Storm Chantal before entering Canadian waters in the afternoon of July 31 and underwent rapid transition to a post-tropical storm before reaching the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland in the late morning of August 1, maintaining gale force winds as it passed. The storm continued to strengthen as a post-tropical system as it crossed Newfoundland and eastern waters with estimated maximum surface winds of 60 knots (111 km/h) located more than 300 km east of the storm track. The highest inland winds were confined to the southern Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, where they gusted to 37 knots (69 km/h) at Cape Race and unofficially gusted to 47 knots (88 km/h) at Cape Pine.  

Chantal Storm Track Image

Intense flooding rains were also confined to the Avalon and Burin peninsulas where more than 100 mm fell mostly between midnight and midday on August 1. Maximum reported rainfalls were 200.4 mm at Argentia and 189.9 mm at Whitbourne. The heaviest reported one-hour rainfalls were 43 mm at St. John’s West and 49 mm in Mount Pearl between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. on August 1. Numerous rainfall records were broken. There were several reports of significant bridge and road washouts during the morning of August 1 and thousands of homes were impacted by flooding. Ten separate communities became isolated by the flooding and declared a state of emergency.

Environment Canada forecast centres issued marine gale warnings for portions of Maritime and Newfoundland waters and rainfall warnings for southern Newfoundland. The CHC issued 11 information statements.

Noel (October 28–November 5)

Hurricane Noel had already undergone extratropical transition by the time it entered the RZ on the morning of November 3 as a large hurricane-force post-tropical storm. It remained at hurricane strength as it entered Maritime waters just before midnight. On November 4 Post-tropical Storm Noel made “landfall,” near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia still at hurricane strength of 70 knots (130 km/h), and then tracked through the Maritimes and Labrador before exiting into the Labrador Sea.

Noel Storm Track Image

Wind gusts of 65 knots (120 km/h) were widespread across the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. Peak wind gusts reported from Nova Scotia were 74 knots (137 km/h) at Beaver Island, 73 knots (135 km/h) at McNab’s Island and Sambro, and a local wind effect of 79 knots (146 km/h) at Grand Etang. Peak wind gusts from Newfoundland were 73 knots (135 km/h) at Sagona and a local wind effect of 97 knots (180 km/h) at Wreckhouse. Peak marine winds reported by the Canadian buoy network were 58 knots (107 km/h) at 44258 (Halifax Harbour buoy) and 56 knots (104 km/h) at 44137 which was located well east of the storm track.

The highest significant waves reported were by the United States buoy 44011 just west of Canadian waters with an instrument record of 13.9 m. Data problems with Canadian buoys did not capture the highest significant waves, which were estimated to be 16–17 m in southwestern Maritime waters.

New Brunswick received 50–90 mm of rain while Nova Scotia received 35–75 mm. The maximum official reported rainfall was 112.3 mm in Meadowbrook, New Brunswick while the highest unofficial report was 130 mm in Smelt Brook, Nova Scotia. In Labrador the precipitation came in the form of 152–5 cm of snow while in the higher grounds of the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec there were unconfirmed reports of 30–60 cm of snow.

Significant damage–mostly from huge and powerful waves–was sustained to coastal infrastructure such as docks and breakwaters, while there were also road washouts as well as some inland damage from downed trees and power lines, and damage to roofing and siding material on homes. One fatality was linked to the storm when a boat capsized following the storm. The storm generated considerable interest with the public and approximately 200 media interviews were conducted.

Noel was a communications success story for Environment Canada for two main reasons. First, many of the lessons taught by Hurricane Juan (2003) have become lessons learned, leading to improved clarity in the messaging and to improved mitigation (more realistic expectations) through extensive outreach efforts with provincial emergency preparedness organizations. Second, the Canadian protocol to continue messaging on such storms by using the “post-tropical” naming convention allowed for enhanced communications and training opportunities on a storm that otherwise would have been dismissed because it had been declared to be extratropical.

Environment Canada forecast centres issued marine wind (gale-, storm- and hurricane-force) and inland wind warnings for all Atlantic Canada, rainfall warnings for New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, and snowfall warnings for portions of Québec and Labrador. The CHC issued 25 information statements.

Additional Information

On June 2 the CHC issued a single proactive bulletin on Tropical Depression Barry, located at that time over Florida, indicating that upcoming potentially heavy rainfalls were possible for portions of southeastern Ontario and southern Quebec.

On August 31 a small-scale low developed well east of Cape Cod and appeared to become a tropical cyclone. A tropical system never materialized however the non-tropical low which did form brought 50–100 mm of heavy rain to eastern Nova Scotia on September 1.

From September 9 to11, the CHC issued 11 bulletins as Tropical Storm Gabrielle was forecast to approach eastern Canadian waters. Gabrielle weakened to a tropical depression and dissipated before reaching Canadian waters.

Date modified:

2014-01-15