WINNIPEG — A senior climatologist with Environment Canada says a weekend storm that brought up to 90 mm of rain in some parts of Winnipeg is proof ‘normal weather’ is a thing of the past.
“Storms are forming in a warmer, and a moister world, so when nature wants to rain on you it may not be as often, it’s a heavier amount of rain that we’ve seen in the past,” David Phillips, an Environment Canada climatologist said. “It’s almost like normal weather doesn’t occur anymore.”
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The climatologist points to extremes from one season to the next. 2014 saw the wettest June on record, 2015 brought the warmest July on record. And Phillips believes it serves as a warning to cities and municipalities to ensure they’re designing infrastructure for ‘tomorrow’s’ weather, not yesterday’s.
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“If we use old strategies and designs and practices and codes based on a period when the weather was unexciting, then we are not prepared for it,” Phillips said.
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And it’s not just aging infrastructure that’s bearing the brunt.
Gerry Bonham from Abalon Foundation Specialists says water can damage brand news houses and those that are 100-years-old.
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“Our phone was ringing off the hook today,” Bonham said.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada says over the past nine years water damage claims have risen from 20 per cent to 50 per cent of total claims nationwide.
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Susan Maclagan’s basement was flooded with about an inch of water Saturday, all of it it came through the window well outside.
“It was like buckets of water being dumped on us,” MacLagan said of Saturday’s storm.
Their home in River Heights has seen some leakage before, but never like this.
“I expect it’s going to happen like that again, because the world’s weather is getting a bit crazy,” MacLagan said.
The City of Winnipeg would not provide an on-camera interview, but did list the damage from the weekend’s storm.
o Basement Flooding – 2
o Sewer Back up Clean – 38
o Sewer Back up Raw Sewage – 19
o Catch Basin Ajar/Off – 2
o Catch Basin Plugged Back Lane – 20
o Catch Basin Front Lane- 113
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