Late in the afternoon on this day in weather history it was a typical highway story that starts a chain reaction of this kind….Trucks. Within minutes there was a long gridlocked line of cars just sitting there, vulnerable to whatever happens next because they literally had nowhere to go. The traffic accident made it impossible for snow plows and emergency vehicles to get through. 

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The year was 1929 and The Dominion of Newfoundland was a country in eastern North America at the time. It is today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, but that didn't come about until 1949 when it became the 10th and final province in the country. It went by a number of different names: The Grand Banks earthquake, the Laurentian Slope earthquake and the South Shore Disaster. It hit right at dinner time for most, 5:02pm on November 18, this day in weather history. 

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Not only was the snowstorm historic in its own right but it also provided the shock and awe of lightning. Just in the Western NY event alone, S. Cheektowaga, was buried under 65" (165cm) of snow….that’s over 5 feet of snow!!!!

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The reach of Iota was massive; sea swells were witnessed as far north as Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, as far east as Jamaica and as far south as Colombia…..this day in weather History.

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Sidr hammered Bangladesh with peak 1-minute sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph), making it a Category-5 equivalent tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Scale that weighs hurricanes. Bangladesh set a modern day record of being able to mobilize over one million people to evacuate at a moment's notice.

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Just 36 seconds after liftoff, a bolt of lightning shot out like...well…..a rocket…..from the grey clouds over the launch site, striking the Saturn5 as it climbed towards space. What happened after that is a story of legends.

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This became known as the Armero tragedy—the deadliest of its kind in recorded history. However, volcanic activity at Nevado del Ruiz began about two million years ago, since the Early Pleistocene or Late Pliocene era, with three major eruptive periods. Yet somehow, when it blew, it caught everyone by surprise and nearby towns unaware.

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It was the highest tide in 50 years and with it came the looming threat that seawater would move up and into the historic monuments and works of art in the equally historic city. The waters peaked at 1.87m (6ft), that's just 2 inches below the highest flooding ever recorded in Venice back in 1966, and it submerged over 80% of a city already below sea level.

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Each year we pause all programming on our network of feeds around the country to reflect and respect those who have and continue to serve bravely with their lives for the safety and security of our Canada. Wherever you happen to be listening to this podcast around the world, in Europe and especially for our very wide listener base in the United States, we also honour the brave men and women who serve you and the global good for peace and independence and freedom from tyranny and oppression. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

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SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter. She was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes when launched on June 7, 1958. Unfortunately, she also remains the largest to have sunk there.

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