Hurricane Juan

Hurricane Juan is considered to be the worst storm in Nova Scotia's history. It had 160 km/h sustained winds that tore roofs of buildings, toppled trees, and did masses of damage. It was only a Category 2, however the damage lead some forecasters to believe that Juan looked like a Category 3.

The reason why Juan got so much fame is because it decided to make landfall in exactly the worst possible place; Halifax, the capital.

Hurricane Juan was a significant hurricane that struck the southern part of Atlantic Canada in late September 2003. It was the tenth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season.

Juan formed southeast of Bermuda on September 24, 2003 out of a tropical wave that tracked into the subtropical Atlantic Ocean. It strengthened gradually in the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, reaching Category 2 strength on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale on September 27 while continuing to track northward. It peaked at 105 mph (165 km/h) as it rapidly approached the coast of Nova Scotia, losing little intensity over the cooler waters. Juan made landfall between Shad Bay and Prospect in the Halifax Regional Municipality early on September 29 as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (162 km/h)[1] Juan retained hurricane strength as it crossed Nova Scotia from south to north before weakening to a tropical storm as it crossed Prince Edward Island. It was absorbed by another extratropical low later on September 29 near Anticosti Island in the northern Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

The storm left extensive damage across central Nova Scotia and into Prince Edward Island, with lesser damage east and west of the storm centre. Most of the damage was as a result of the high winds that whipped across the region. Juan resulted in eight fatalities and over $300 million (2003 CAD, $200 million 2003 USD; $263 million 2011 USD) in damage. It was described as the worst storm to hit Halifax since 1893.[2] [3]