CatIQ, an independent Toronto-based provider of catastrophe insurance data and a subsidiary of PERILS, has released its initial industry loss estimate for the ice storm that struck Ontario and Quebec between March 28 and 31, 2025.
The preliminary estimate, issued three weeks following the event, stands at CAD 342 million. This figure encompasses property damage claims (both commercial and residential), vehicle (motor) claims, and additional loss adjustment expenses.
For CatIQ subscribers, detailed meteorological data, including ice accumulation totals, damage assessments, and related news coverage, is available through the platform.
A second market loss update, aligned with the company’s reporting schedule, will be released on May 15, 2025, 45 days after the event’s conclusion.
In late March 2025, the storm system tracked over the Great Lakes as the jet stream shifted to its typical northern, warm-season position. Two low-pressure systems brought a surge of milder air into conflict with the colder air at the surface over central and southeastern Ontario and southern Quebec, resulting in prolonged periods of freezing rain from March 28 to 31, 2025.
The hardest-hit areas were located to the north and northeast of Toronto, particularly the elevated terrain of the Kawarthas, Muskoka, and Haliburton regions.
Some locations experienced up to 35 hours of freezing rain, with significant ice accretion—up to 25 mm in Lindsay and Peterborough and 20 mm in Ontario. In Quebec, Québec City was subjected to approximately 12 hours of freezing rain, while Montreal and Trois-Rivières experienced about eight hours.
Southeastern Ontario and southern Quebec are frequently impacted by ice storms, with one of the most severe events in Canadian history occurring in 1998. Ice events in the region also tend to occur in April, with significant storms in 2018 and 2023. CatIQ previously recorded major ice storm events in 2013 and 2016 in this region.
Laura Twidle, President and CEO of CatIQ, commented: “While the loss figures for this event and the 2023 storm are remarkably similar, the details paint a different picture of the impacts.
“In particular, the average personal claim for this storm is approximately CAD 24,000, whereas in 2023 it was closer to CAD 13,000. A possible factor in this is the duration of the power outages; the event in March heavily impacted relatively remote areas, making access difficult for restoration crews.”
Twidle continued: “Even for a region prone to ice events, the prolonged duration of the freezing rain made this storm particularly impactful to local infrastructure, with nearly 2,000 broken power poles identified.
“More than 100,000 Hydro customers in Ontario were without power for days, and a portion of these outages continued for several weeks, meaning the storm caused not only significant physical damage to properties, but also widespread business interruption and the loss of frozen and refrigerated items.”
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