Residents of eastern Québec probably remember the exceptional weather conditions and the very high tide of Dec. 6, 2010. The combination caused flooding along the shores of the St. Lawrence River and millions of dollars in damage to public and private infrastructure.
The water level recorded that day at Rimouski’s tidal gauge (a device used to measure sea level) reached 5.5 metres, exceeding the 1914 record by 20 centimetres. Exceptional high tides occur more often than once every 100 years, however. On Jan. 11, 2016, strong winds and high tides again caused flooding along the eastern Québec coast.
