Nearly 3,000 customers in Airdrie, Balzac and Rocky View County had power restored Thursday evening after multiple lightning strikes damaged the distribution system, FortisAlberta said.
The utility said on social media just after 5 p.m. that electricity had been restored and crews had determined the cause.
Power on! The cause was multiple lightning strikes to the distribution system. #abstorm https://t.co/jR4WDzBtm5
— FortisAlberta (@FortisAlberta) August 7, 2025
Earlier in the afternoon, FortisAlberta reported three separate outages affecting an estimated 2,938 customers. A social media post shortly before 3:30 p.m. said the cause was under investigation and that crews were “working to restore service safely and as quickly as possible.”
The outages came as a severe thunderstorm warning for Rocky View County near Airdrie and Crossfield was in effect.
Environment Canada issued the warning at 3:24 p.m., as meteorologists tracked a storm located five kilometres south of Airdrie and moving east at 15 km/h. The system was capable of producing “very strong wind gusts, up to toonie size hail and heavy rain,” the agency said.
“Driving conditions will likely be difficult. Heavy rain may cause flash flooding and significant reductions to visibility. Large hail may cause significant damage and injury,” the warning stated.
The advisory was lifted just before 4 p.m. Residents were urged to seek shelter, avoid low-lying areas, and stay off flooded roads.
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