The Groundhog Day Gale of 1976 was a severe winter nor’easter that struck the Maritimes, producing hurricane-force winds, coastal flooding, and widespread damage.
In southwestern Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick shores were severely affected.
Saint John experienced wind gusts of 188 km/h (116 mph) and coastal flooding up to 1.6 meters (5 ft 3 in).
Offshore, waves reached 12 meters (39 ft) with swells of 10 meters (33 ft).
There was little warning of the monster of a storm back then, when the waves and storm surge caused the most damage here in Nova Scotia estimated then at over 10 million dollars.
Buildings were heavily damaged or totally destroyed, many boats were washed ashore or destroyed. Roads were washed out while vehicles were tossed over.
There were long power outages, but thankfully there were no reports of any deaths.
I was nine-years-old growing up in Big Bras d’or Cape Breton, we didn’t get the full effects of the storm, but it was still one to remember.
The Groundhog Day Gale of 1976, 50 years ago today.
-Ian
