Canada is home to a wild range of climates. We're home to everything from legitimate deserts to Arctic tundra. But one thing all those climates have in common — apart from those smug jerks on Vancouver Island — is winter.

Ask anyone in the world what they think of when you say "Canada" and right after "hockey" and "universal health care" they will likely mention snow and cold weather. As a people, we've learned what it takes to survive winter — good boots and quality ice scrapers are a start. And it's no wonder we're good at winter when you consider some of the storms we've experienced through the decades:

The storm that flipped a streetcar: Toronto, 1944

By the end of 1944 the world was war-weary and in Toronto, the weather was not helping anyone's mood. On December 11 of that year, a record 47 cm of snow fell in Toronto and the surrounding area, with an additional 10 cm before the storm ended. It sounds like the makings of a beautiful and festive holiday season but wait, there's more. And it's mostly terrible. Gale-force winds added to the mess, overturning a streetcar and trapping 170 people, killing one. The city was frozen over. No one could get anywhere. The next day the schools, businesses, and even the Toronto Stock Exchange was closed. Those trying to help move snow so that supplies — including war munitions — could be delivered, were themselves at risk in the terrible weather, and the exertion from shoveling caused multiple fatal heart attacks and other cardiac events. The Chief coroner suggested that men over 50 who were not used to exertion outsource the labour: "It is better to get some young fellow to do it even if it costs a few cents."

By the end of the two-day storm, 21 people had died from storm-related causes.

Won't someone think of the livestock?: Southern Alberta, 1967

Albertans are famously a hardworking, industrious lot. They can handle rough conditions. Their unofficial motto when it comes to bad weather is "We Can Take It." When southern Alberta was slammed with an early spring storm back in 1967, the world watched. Almost two metres – TWO METRES! – fell in a two-week period with almost no let-up.

For those of you still using the imperial measurement system, that is about 6'6" of snow. That is not a typo. It was an NBA small forward's worth of snow.

Farmers were hit hard. Daily routines ground to a halt as livestock suffered from lack of food and water. Farmers simply couldn't get to them in the field. The storm cost Alberta millions of dollars and the army had to be called in to clear snow. The last half of April was almost entirely a write-off in Southern Alberta. In addition to having army airlifting supplies to affected areas, the government also offered a new May deadline for income tax submission that year.

The White Death: Niagara Region/Hamilton, Ont., 1977

Ask any Southern Ontarian over the age of 45 what they were doing when the storm of 1977 hit the region, and they'll be able to tell you. From Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, Hamilton and Niagara Region — an area known for relatively mellow winters by Canadian standards — were assaulted by snow, cold temperatures, and gale-force winds of up to 80 km per hour. The storm earned the ominous nickname "The White Death." The official snowfall came in around the 60 cm mark and a state of emergency was declared . People were trapped in their homes from snow too high to tunnel through. Some people couldn't get to work because they literally couldn't find their cars! The bulk of the storm fell throughout the weekend, much to the chagrin of schoolkids hoping for a snow day. But the real empathy is owed to moms and dads of little ones — parenting through a storm back then meant doing it without the benefit of iPads.

The storm that shut down an island: P.E.I., 1982

In 1982, it took two weeks to finish the snowplowing from a big snowstorm. 1:31

In warm climates they say, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity!" In P.E.I., they say "It's not the snow; it's the wind." In late February 1982, this winter storm came out of nowhere and blasted our smallest province with 100 km hour winds. The snowfall didn't stop until it reached 60 cm. The combination shut down the island. No travel in or out was possible for close to a week. Even trains were buried in the snowdrifts.

The province's license plates read "P.E.I.: Home of 'Anne of Green Gables," but in the winter of 1982, there was no green to be found.

Somebody call the army: Toronto, 1999

Mayor Mel Lastman asks the military to help a crippled Toronto battle a wave of snowstorms in 1999. 4:23

This storm put Toronto on the global map for a few days, and not in a good way. Then-Toronto mayor — and former discount furniture and appliance mogul — Mel Lastman called in the army to help the city dig out. We know the army has helped out in times of snowmageddon before (Alberta, 1967) so Lastman's decision was hardly a bad boy move. (See what we did there?) The issue wasn't that there was one massive snowfall, but rather a series of "pretty bad" ones. Over a two-week period, from Jan. 2 until Jan. 15, the city was hit by blizzard after blizzard. The snow wouldn't stop. There was over 118 cm by the time it ended, making it the snowiest two weeks the city had seen since 1846. Clearing snow had become an exercise in futility. Schools closed, businesses shuttered, and a fortune was spent in moving snow from one location to another. While Lastman had his critics and the tenacity of Torontonians came under fire, looking back the move may have been justified.

Juan, but worse: Atlantic Canada, 2004

Our Atlantic provinces often bear the brunt of hurricanes coming up the Eastern seaboard, so it's no surprise that Hurricane Juan caused damage to the region in Sept. 2004. But in a classic "You thought he was bad, just wait until you meet his brother" style situation, the storm that came in after Hurricane Juan was worse. But that storm came in February. The hurricane-strength nor'easter was nicknamed "White Juan" created a state of emergency in Nova Scotia. There was zero visibility and winds gusting up to 120 km/hr. Parts of the province, including Yarmouth, saw over a metre of snow. Effects rippled out into P.E.I. and New Brunswick, creating a Bermuda Triangle of snow and sleet.

The passing decades may bring us updated, modern ways of handling these snow scenarios, but one thing rings true, no matter the decade: we'll be out there together, shoveling and helping our neighbours no matter how fast it's flying.

Watch Back in Time for Winter, Thursdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT).