Thursday's storm brought hail, heavy rain, and reports of flash flooding to parts of Airdrie, knocking out power to nearly 3,000 customers in the city, Balzac, and Rocky View County.
Photos and videos shared by residents showed streets in several neighbourhoods partially submerged, with water pooling at intersections and hail blanketing lawns and sidewalks.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Rocky View County near Airdrie and Crossfield 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 warning was lifted just before 4 p.m.
Bree McCormack
FortisAlberta reported three separate outages during the storm, affecting an estimated 2,938 customers. Power was restored just after 5 p.m., with the utility citing multiple lightning strikes to the distribution system.
Daniel Nelles
Environment Canada advised residents to seek shelter, avoid low-lying areas and stay off flooded roads.
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