Winter of 1835 was reportedly very harsh with extreme cold, snow and winds

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Charles Perry

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Frigid temperatures, which killed livestock on the ferry service between Saint John, New Brunswick and Digby, Nova Scotia, and heavy rains causing flooding in Miramichi gave New Brunswick two of the five Atlantic Canada mentions this month in the annual Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar.

However, New Brunswick was also part of a third item involving unusually mild December temperatures in eastern Canada. The other two mentions entailed snow hampering the Christmas tree harvest in Nova Scotia and a blizzard and ice storm in Cape Breton.

Compiled by David Phillips of Toronto, senior climatologist for Environment Canada, the calendar incorporates a mixture of weather records and historic storms along with quirky or unusual weather happenings.

All the proceeds from the calendar's sales go back to Environment Canada to be used for education, training and other programs.

The first New Brunswick mention concerned the Maritimes enduring unusually cold temperatures, heavy snow and high winds on Dec. 23, 1835. Steamers between Saint John and Digby took 32 hours, instead of the normal six, to make the trip.

One, with 20 cabin passengers and several sheep and oxen on deck, returned to port after only 12 kilometres (seven miles) at sea. Two oxen had died and several others were coated in thick ice. No sheep died, as their coats were more protective.

The other New Brunswick item occurred on Dec. 21, 1848 in Miramichi, following 10 days of steady rain. The rising water encircled rivers and streams, inundated huge tracts of land and carried away several bridges, mill dams and mills.

The mail service exceeded 24 hours, which was unheard of in those days.

On Dec. 18, 2006. Christmas shoppers in eastern Canada went golfing as temperatures hit the high double-digits, which were four to five degrees C above seasonable norms. Birds, frogs and many other animals (some emerging from hibernation) thought it was spring.

Golf clubs outsold snow boards. By 10 a.m., the golf courses were full and Christmas shoppers were in short-sleeves.

On Dec. 6, 1992, Christmas tree growers in Nova Scotia, who had waited until closer to Christmas to cut their trees, were concerned about a possible shortage of trees. The previous week's snow storms had left knee-deep snow in many lots hampering efforts to get the trees out of the woods.

On Dec. 28, 1923, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia began recovering from the effects of a blizzard that cut its communication lines. Maritime Telegraph and Telephone lost 50 poles between North Sydney and Little Bras d'Or.

* Charles Perry's Weather appears daily.