Dorian dominates 2019 weather headlines, says UPEI professor

Dorian dominated weather headlines in 2019, according to Adam Fenech, associate professor of environmental studies at UPEI.

In his annual weather year in review, Fenech said the post-tropical storm left the Island province battered and bruised.

Peak winds hit 150 km/h near Kensington. Rainfall topped 140 millimetres at TignishHarbour.

"Dorian takes the crown, takes the gold, silver and bronze," Fenech told Mainstreet P.E.I.'sMatt Rainnie.

"We are still cleaning up afterwards."

'Dorian is certainly a lot worse'

Fenech said Dorian had a much bigger impact on the province than hurricane Juan, which hit in 2003.

"We remember Juan really well because the damage was through Charlottetown," he said. "Dorian is certainly a lot worse than Juan primarily because it hit all of the Island."

Dorian originated in the Caribbean and devastated that region with sustained winds of almost 300 km/h. The storm left 70,000 homeless and killed at least 70 people, Fenech said.

While the storm didn't hit P.E.I. with the same punch, it did cause widespread damage.

'Quite devastating'

Maritime Electric lost more than 100 poles. The costtopped $3.5 million, the most expensive single storm to ever hit the utility.

Despite the destruction, there were no fatalities on the Island.

A dozen firefighters had to rescue more than 30 people and five dogs after flood waters swamped Crystal Beach provincial campground.

P.E.I.'s North Shore watched as tree after tree came toppling down.

"It was quite devastating," he said. "Eighty to 90 per cent of the trees at some of the campgrounds were fallen and they'll never look the same, that's for sure."

While Dorian may have been the biggest weather story of 2019, Fenech said it was not the biggest weather story of the past decade.

That, he said, wentto the winter that never ended 2015. P.E.I. received a record 550 centimetres of snow.

"That's the largest amount of snow in recorded history," he said.

"So, even when our parents, or our grandparents, tell us about how bad the winters they survived, well guess what? We survived the worst in recorded history here on P.E.I."

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