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Canada • Natural disaster

1998 North American ice storm

The 1998 North American ice storm, also called the Great Ice Storm of 1998 or the January Ice Storm, was a severe series of freezing rain events in January 1998 that struck eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and parts of the northeastern United States.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 26, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

The 1998 North American ice storm, also called the Great Ice Storm of 1998 or the January Ice Storm, was a severe series of freezing rain events in January 1998 that struck eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and parts of the northeastern United States. It caused major damage to power infrastructure, prolonged outages for millions of people, and dozens of deaths. In Canada, it is widely regarded as one of the country’s most damaging natural disasters.

Meteorological event

The storm occurred from 4 to 10 January 1998 and involved prolonged freezing rain over eastern Canada and parts of the northeastern United States. It was made up of several successive ice storms that produced extreme ice accumulation.

Impact in Canada

Canada experienced the most severe effects, especially in Quebec and eastern Ontario. The storm damaged trees, transmission lines, poles, and other infrastructure, leaving large populations without power and causing emergency shelter use and widespread disruption.

Casualties and humanitarian response

The storm caused dozens of deaths and injured many people, with deaths linked to hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, trauma, fire, and other storm-related causes. The Canadian military was deployed on a large scale to assist with relief, logistics, and recovery.

Economic and infrastructure damage

The storm produced extensive property and infrastructure losses, with total damage estimates exceeding $4 billion across North America. In Canada, insured and uninsured losses, utility damage, and cleanup costs made it one of the country’s costliest weather disasters.

Key facts

  • The storm was a sequence of successive ice storms, not a single short-lived event.
  • Eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were among the hardest-hit Canadian regions.
  • Ice accretion reached around 100 mm in some places, causing widespread tree and utility-line collapse.
  • The storm triggered prolonged blackouts and major disruptions in Montreal, Ottawa, and surrounding areas.
  • The disaster caused large economic losses and is often cited as one of the worst natural disasters in Canadian history.
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Canadian context

The event is a major part of modern Canadian disaster history, especially in Quebec and Ontario. It affected millions of Canadians, prompted the largest Canadian military deployment since the Korean War, and remains a reference point for emergency preparedness, power-grid resilience, and severe winter weather.

Frequently asked questions

What was the 1998 North American ice storm?
It was a major freezing rain event in January 1998 that affected eastern Canada and parts of the northeastern United States, causing severe ice buildup, power outages, deaths, and major damage.
Why is it called "verglas 1998"?
"Verglas" is the French term for glaze ice or freezing rain ice, and the phrase is commonly used in Quebec to refer to the 1998 ice storm.
Which parts of Canada were most affected?
Eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were among the most affected Canadian regions, especially the St. Lawrence Valley and Montreal area.
How long did the storm last?
The main event lasted about 4 to 10 January 1998, though recovery and power restoration continued for weeks or longer in the hardest-hit areas.
How many people died?
Sources commonly report about 35 Canadian deaths, while total deaths across North America are reported variously as about 34 to 40, depending on the source and attribution method.
Why is it important in Canadian history?
It is remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in Canadian history because of its scale, long outages, infrastructure damage, and the large military and civilian response.

References

  1. Veterans Affairs Canada — https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/military-history/service-canada/1998-ice-storm
    Supports: Dates, affected Canadian regions, approximate Canadian deaths, displacement, and Canadian military response
  2. Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction — https://www.iclr.org/wp-content/uploads/PDFS/1998_ice_storm_english.pdf
    Supports: Canadian impacts, freezing rain totals, damage description, fatalities, and power outages
  3. National Weather Service — https://www.weather.gov/media/publications/assessments/iceflood.pdf
    Supports: Storm structure, ice accumulation, flooding, damage, and overall North American impacts
  4. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1998_North_American_ice_storm
    Supports: General event overview, affected regions, and commonly cited casualty and impact figures
  5. National Weather Service — https://www.weather.gov/btv/25th-Anniversary-of-the-Devastating-1998-Ice-Storm-in-the-Northeast
    Supports: Historic impacts, ice accumulation, duration, and damage estimates