Canada’s snowiest Valentine’s Days: A love affair with winter storms
Whether you’re celebrating with roses or a snow shovel, history shows that Feb. 14 in Canada can be as wild as winter gets.
Some Canadian cities have a notable Valentine’s Day tradition.
If there’s one thing St. Johns, Nfld., can usually count on for Valentine’s Day, it’s ample snowfall. Over the past few decades, Valentine’s Day has become a magnet for snow, with five of the seven biggest February snowfalls since 1980 falling on this holiday.
It has regularly snowed more than 30 cm, including a massive accumulation of 45.8 cm in 1987.
The rest of Atlantic Canada has seen some massive totals, including Montcon, N.B., being buried by 45.7 cm in 1899 and Charlottetown, P.E.I., with an identical amount in 1934.
Can the rest of Canada top these totals?
Beyond Atlantic Canada, believe it or not, there are even larger Valentine’s snowfalls to be found. Sherbrooke, Que., holds the region’s record with a staggering 60 cm in 2007, but Nanaimo, B.C., tops the charts.
On Feb. 14, 1923, the city of Nanaimo recorded a whopping 76.2 cm of snowfall. That is even more exceptional because the region's annual snowfall average is roughly 80 cm.
Other Canadian cities have some respectable totals, including Toronto, Ont., recording an impressive 45.7 cm in 1850. Even the Prairies have seen some notable totals, like in Brandon, Man., which recorded 20.3 cm in 1962.
So, whether you’re celebrating with roses or a snow shovel, history shows that Feb. 14 in Canada can be as wild as winter gets.