Recent memories of floods

The municipality is working to better understand our shared history and understanding of floods and opportunities to work together to build resilience. This website will be continuously updated with more information.

We acknowledge that the municipality is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and traditional lands of the Mi’kmaq people. The Mi’kmaq First Nations were the original people of the Halifax region and remain the predominant Indigenous group in Nova Scotia. The Mi’kmaq have existed here for thousands of years prior to contact with settlers and have lead the protection, management, and conservation of their traditional territories as stewards of the land and natural resources. 

Halifax is home to many historic African Nova Scotian communities, each with a profound and complex history spanning over two centuries. Several African Nova Scotian communities are located within culturally significant watersheds, like Lucasville and Hammonds Plains in the Sackville River Watershed and North Preston in the Musquodoboit Watershed.

1942 Fairview floods

The Farview Historical Society has captured a historical example of flooding in Fairview. Some of the descriptions documented in the Halifax Herald are hard to imagine, like:

• flooding cutting off the Halifax Peninsula completely for twelve hours;
• contaminated water supplies;
• Quinpool Road being navigated by boat like a canal;
• freshwater filling the northwest arm for several days;
• highway and road washouts across the province; and
• dingy races on the Halifax Common.

All photos courtesy of the Fairview Historical Society.

• First photo: The original Fairview Train Station is shown in the foreground, with high water levels on the train tracks. Items are shown submerged under water and a track appears to be partially submerged. The Fairview Train Station was demolished in 1957 and is now the location of the Fairview Overpass.
• Second photo: Children are shown walking across floodwaters on Dutch Village Road, with visible infrastructure damaged within flood water.
• Third photo: Flood damage shown on the railroad tracks in Fairview. A man stands on the track and looks down at the water, while children and others look on at the damage from the side of the road. 

1956 Sheet Harbour floods

Nova Scotia experienced unseasonably warm weather from December 1955 to February 1956, resulting in snow melt and ice jams that caused flooding across the province. Photos from the Dalhousie University Archives show the destruction in Sheet Harbour. Public Safety Canada estimates that 100 bridges were destroyed across the province from high water levels and ice. 

Both photos courtesy of the Dalhousie University Archives.

• First photo: Image shows high and fast-moving water levels that are submerging powerlines in the foreground, with visible downed power lines. A structure or piece of metal appears to be floating on the water.
• Second photo: Image shows water running on a street and coming into contact with surrounding buildings and power lines. 

Hurricanes and post-tropical storms

Nova Scotia has experienced many hurricanes and post-tropical storms that demonstrate the widespread impacts from coastal flooding and very heavy precipitation. For example:

• Hurricane Beth was a tropical cyclone that made contact with Nova Scotia on Aug. 15, 1971. The storm brought an estimated 296 mm of rain to the province, with extensive damage. This included loss of agricultural crops, washouts of highways and bridges, and contamination of the Dartmouth water supply. Video.
• Hurricane Juan made landfall on Sept. 20, 2003 and was one of the most damaging storms in Canadian history. Water levels from storm surge were 2.9 m above average, the highest ever recorded and waves outside of Halifax Harbour reach a maximum height of 19 m. There was extensive damage to buildings, docks, boardwalks, and trails across the municipality. Winds of up to 230 km/hour were also extremely damaging, including damage or loss of several thousand trees in Point Pleasant Park.
• Tropical Storm Fiona hit Nova Scotia on Sept. 24, 2022. This storm brought torrential rain of up to 191 mm at the Osborne Head station near Cow Bay. Although Halifax did not receive as large of an impact as Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland, widespread damage and flooding still occurred. 

July 2023

On July 21, 2023, Nova Scotia experienced a devastating flood with the most intense rainfall recorded since Hurricane Beth in 1971. Over 250 mm of rain fell in 24 hours, resulting in widespread and rapid flooding. A state of emergency was called.

The July 2023 event was a combination of pluvial and fluvial flooding. Pluvial flooding occurred due to the intense and fast nature of the rainfall, overwhelming drainage systems. This water pooled in low points and moved quickly, bringing damage to its path. Fluvial flooding occurred in many areas near rivers that spilled across their banks. This was very prominent in the Sackville River watershed.

While there were no fatalities in Halifax, four people were killed in our neighbouring community of West Hants, devastating our province and country. The tragic loss of life demonstrates the need for increased awareness and planning for major floods to come. 

The floods caused widespread damage in the municipality that resulted in over 1800 work orders that Halifax and Halifax Water needed to repair, including washout of bridges, roads and sidewalks, sinkholes and other damaged infrastructure. Several areas were inaccessible for days, presenting significant challenges for emergency operations and dangerous conditions for residents who needed care or access to services.