Any time it snows in Victoria, it brings back memories of 1996, when more than 65 centimetres of snow came down across the capital in a single day.
But before the Blizzard of ‘96, there was another snowstorm that made history.
All the way back in 1916, Victoria got blasted by so much snow that the army had to be called in.
At the beginning of February 1916, the city saw 46.4 inches of snow, or 117 centimetres.
Of that total, 53 centimetres fell in a single day, which was the record until the Blizzard of ‘96.
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In 1916, the city came to a standstill, with many businesses using horse-drawn sleighs to get deliveries out.
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(Royal BC Museum)
(Royal BC Museum)
The Canadian army deployed 150 soldiers to Victoria, who shovelled around the clock and made snowdrifts more than seven feet (2.1 metres) high.
Victoria has only received more than 50 centimetres of snow in a 24-hour period three times in recorded history.
Once was on Feb. 2, 1916, the second was on Feb. 14, 1923, and the third was on Dec. 29, 1996.
Victoria is also the only Canadian city west of the Great Lakes to hold the record for so much snow in so little time.
@chek.news While everyone on Vancouver Island remembers the Blizzard of ’96, many might not know about the massive snowstorm of 1916. The city saw over 117 centimetres of snow fall in the month of February, including 53 centimetres that fell in a single day, which was the record until 1996. #snow #archive #history #historytok #historytime #film #snowstorm #weather #victoria #victoriabc #yyj #vancouverisland #vancouverislandbc #britishcolumbia #britishcolumbiacanada #canada #canada_life🇨🇦 #news #localnews #CHEKNews ♬ original sound – CHEK
(Royal BC Museum)
(Royal BC Museum)
(Royal BC Museum)
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