Weather chaos in Canada – more rain in one day than usual in months

First the forest fire, now the flood Canada plunges into weather chaos – more rain in one day than usual in months

Hot weather in Canada. The country has been hit by the worst wildfires in its history. Extreme heat and drought are prevailing in some parts of the country. At the same time, Canada’s southeast has just been surprised by unusually heavy rain. There was a flood. Four people, including two children, were reported missing on Saturday (local time), Canadian media reported, citing police.

“We got three months’ worth of rain in less than 24 hours. The rain came fast and heavy,” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston was quoted as saying by local media. “Our climate is changing and it’s evident all around us,” he added. The southeastern province of Nova Scotia also experienced severe wildfires in May and June.

70,000 people are without electricity

It started raining heavily from Friday. The two missing children were reportedly in a flooded car. The other three occupants managed to get away safely, it said. The other missing persons are a youth and a man. His car was also swept away in the water. Hence detailed information is not initially available.

Local media reported that houses, bridges and roads were damaged by the floods. Meanwhile, about 70,000 people in the region were without power, and hundreds were asked to evacuate their homes. A state of emergency was declared across the province of Nova Scotia on Saturday.

At the same time, hundreds of wildfires are still burning in Canada. According to officials, more than 100,000 square kilometers of forest and other terrain have already been burnt. The fires also produced apocalyptic images: New York, for example, was temporarily engulfed in a thick yellow veil of smoke moving south.

tpo/dpa