Jeff Masters: 300-year flood in Canada; wildfires destroy large portions of Slave Lake, Alberta

300-year flood in Canada; wildfires destroy large portions of Slave Lake, Alberta


by Jeff Masters, wunderblog, May 16, 2011


In Manitoba, Canada, heavy spring snow melt in combination with heavy rains have combined to create record flooding on the Assiniboine River. Authorities intentionally breached a levee over the weekend to save hundreds of homes, but inundated huge areas of farmland as a result. The flood is being called a 300-year flood, and damages are already in excess of $1 billion. In Alberta, Canada, reverse extreme is causing havoc: severe drought and strong spring winds have made ideal conditions for wildfires, which swept into the community of Slave Lake (population 6,700) yesterday. The fires destroyed hundreds of buildings, burning down the town hall and at least 30% of the town, according to preliminary media reports.




Figure 4. Video of the May 15, 2011 Slave Lake fire.


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