Page 7 - My FlipBook

and more than 1,000 steel towers collapsed. Over 3,000 kilometres of

power lines had to be rebuilt.

The storm killed 35 people. Nearly 1,000 people were injured. The
storm caused more than $5.4 billion in damage. It was one of the worst

natural disasters in Canadian history.

SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN

Rain and snow begin in the clouds. Rain happens when warm, moist

air cools. Cold air cannot hold much water. The water condenses into

raindrops. If the air is very cold, water freezes into ice crystals. This
makes snow. When snow falls through warm air, it melts. This is rain.

If it falls through cold air, it stays frozen. Sometimes snow falls through

both warm and cold air. In the warm air, the snow melts into rain.
The rain cools again in the cold air. The rain stays liquid until it hits

something. When it touches a tree branch, a wire, or a road, it freezes

into ice. This is called freezing rain.

DANGERS OF SNOW AND ICE

Too much snow and freezing rain can be dangerous. Big snowstorms

can trap people indoors. A blizzard is a very dangerous snowstorm.

Power company employees study one of the many towers that fell
during the 1998 storm.

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