The storm last weekend broke all kinds of weather records. It also made me curious about the storms of the past in this area.
I looked a few of them up and although the complete reports in the old papers are too lengthy for this column I decided to give you some of the good parts of them.

March 31, 1938
“60-Hour Blizzard Disrupts Services
“Snowdrifts of unprecedented heights were formed, blocking highways.
“Drifting on the railroad lines is the worst ever seen on the open prairie country. Plows were forced through drifts between Kerrobert and Castor ranging from 10 - 14 feet in depth and several hundred yards across.
“The force of the wind during early hours of Tuesday morning tore the false front from the old National café and sent it crashing to the street.
“Drifts right up to the eaves is a common sight. The drift in front of the Densmore implement office formed a bank averaging 8 feet deep across the street.”

March 4, 1948
“Blizzard Is Biggest Blow Since March ’38
“Thursday last at around 4 p.m. with temperatures above freezing snow commenced falling and shortly a stiff wind came up.
The temperature gradually dropped and by evening a blizzard general over central and southern portions of the province was in progress to rage all day Friday and well into Sunday.
“A drift on No.12 Highway was reported to be 10 to 12 feet deep and seven miles long. Government plows being unable to speedily open that section took to the fields.
“Radio reports gave the snowfall here during the storm as 15.40 inches at the weather station. This snowfall was the highest in the province.”

May 20,1965
“ Worst Storm In Coronation History
“Coronation was blasted over Sunday - Monday by one of the most devastating 24 hour storms in its 60 odd year history.
“It cut this and nearby localities entirely off communication with the outside by tearing down electric, telephone and telegraph by blowing down poles and breaking wire connections.
“The force of the wind with snow either uprooted the poles or smashed them off and threw them onto or across roads.
“The high wind started at mid-afternoon Sunday and a dust storm ensued until evening when light rain preceded snow. The fairly heavy snow (10 inches) continued all night and until mid-afternoon Monday when the wind 45 m.p.h. and gusting abated.”
Of course there have been other storms since 1965, but none that could beat that one; at least not that late in the season.
I’m sure our 2008 storm will also go down in the books as one of our “Biggest Blows”.

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