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Environment and Climate Change Canada's Top 10 Weather Stories of the Year list covers the country from coast to coast.
The Federal Office has published a list since 1996usually covering extreme weather events that affect Canadians. The events on the 2025 list, released Thursday, are not in any particular order.
“This year has had it all,” Jennifer Smith, Canada's national warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change, said during a news conference.
But in the list's 30-year history, Smith said, “one thing hasn't changed: the resilience of Canadians.”
One of the stories on this year's list was Canada's second-largest wildfire. season on record. In 2025, more than 8.9 million hectares burned. This follows the deadly and tragic 2023 bushfires, which burned 16.1 million hectares.
During the 2025 bushfire season, more than 75,000 people were displaced from their homes. Of these people, almost three out of every five were from Indigenous communities.
Hardest hit were Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where massive wildfires not only spread but also merged. Almost nowhere in Canada has been smoke free.
Drought in Canada
These wildfires were also fueled by the drought that was felt throughout the country. By the end of September, Canadian Drought Monitor reported that 85 percent of Canada is experiencing abnormally dry conditions or drought. This includes approximately 76 percent of the country's agricultural land.
Fierce fires, monster storms and epic floods. But there were some climate positives in 2025. CBC meteorologists Ryan Snoddon and Joanna Wagstaff join What on Earth host Laura Lynch to talk about how man-made climate change has impacted this year's weather. »»» Listen to the full episode of What On Earth here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-429-what-on-earth/clip/16186078-our-forecasters-look-back-year-weather-climate What On Earth releases new podcast episodes every Wednesday and Saturday. You can find them on your favorite podcast app or on demand on CBC Listen. The radio show airs on Sundays at 11:00 and 11:30 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
This is nothing new for Westerners, especially in British Columbia, where the drought that began in 2021 has only worsened.
But Ontario also experienced drought during the summer, especially in eastern Ontario. Boats became stuck in the St. Lawrence River as water levels dropped. Apple picking season and pumpkin season have been affected.
With Halloween just six weeks away, those looking for big pumpkins this season may be out of luck. CBC's Ilka Sweeting-Rogers has more.
End of summer? Wait a second…
When it looked like summer was coming to an end in August, Western Canada was in for a surprise.
Temperatures soared in British Columbia in late August and early September. From August 22 to September 8, the province set more than 200 daily maximum temperature records.
In Lytton, British Columbia—a town that was leveled in 2021 by wildfires and where a national temperature record was set that year—temperatures reached 40 C or higher for several days in a row, from August 24 to 27.
But it was Ashcroft who set a new September record not only for the province, but also for the country, where on September 3 the mercury soared to 40.8°C.
Tuktoyaktuk flood
Tuktoyaktuk (NWT) experienced severe flooding in late August when a powerful low pressure system hit coastal areas.
On August 30, a system that formed off the Beaufort Sea moved east, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to many communities in the region.
Winds of 70 km/h and above blew in Tuktoyaktuk for almost six hours. And those winds produced a storm surge of 2.62 meters, the highest ever recorded in the village.
These are just a few of the top 10 most popular stories. To learn more, including about the devastating summer storms in the Prairies, snowstorms in central and eastern Canada and the ice storm that paralyzed parts of Ontario, you can visit Environment and Climate Change Canada. website.
