A fast-moving storm brought hail the size of golf balls, winds above 90 km/h, damage to trees and localized power outages into the Calgary area on Sunday.
Northeast Calgary experienced wind gusts of up to 93 km/h around 8 p.m., according to Environment Canada.
Kyle Brittain, a freelance climate journalist, told CBC’s The Homestretch on Monday that the storm came from the foothills northwest of Cochrane into the Calgary area, before it hit Chestermere and Langdon, and other communities southeast of the city before dissipating in Vulcan County.
“It was a very fast-moving storm. It was hard to keep up with, and a very stunning-looking storm as it was travelling east of Calgary, quite ominous I think as well as it was entering the city,” said Brittain.
The storm was followed by a rainfall warning in Calgary the next day, which Environment and Climate Change Canada projected on Monday morning would bring 50 to 80 mm throughout the day.
North Haven resident Barb Heeb said Sunday’s storm started quietly before it picked up so much in her neighbourhood that she couldn’t see the houses across the street.
“The wind, the rain, the hail was just incredible. And all the trees were losing all their leaves,” Heeb said on Monday.
“It was just chaos. And then all the flooding came as well, and it’s even worse today because of the rain.”
Large hail, strong winds pound parts of Calgary and surrounding area
Heeb said she and several of her neighbours have called the city for assistance because of the amount of water in the community on Monday.
Calgary’s Water Services said stormwater crews have been responding to drainage-related 311 calls, including incidents where storm debris blocked stormwater inlets.
Parks and Open Spaces at the city reported on Monday the storm had broken branches, foliage and bark off trees. They said park crews were responding as needed, and watering operations were suspended for a few days because of the rain.
Andy Wolff was in the Calgary Winter Club when he heard what sounded like breaking glass. It quickly dawned on him it was a hailstorm, and he ran to check on his car.
“I almost had the wind knock me off my feet,” Wolff said.
“When I came out of the parking lot, it was like a blizzard. It was almost going sideways, and sweeping across the parking lot. It was incredible. Mother nature just opened up.”
Tara Schneider, a resident of Calgary’s northwest Thorncliffe neighbourhood, said the hail seemed to shred the greenery around her yard, and the hail looked like it was blowing at a 90-degree angle. But what was even more memorable, Schneider said, was the loud gusts of wind.
“The sound alone made us think initially that we were in a tornado. I’ve never heard that sound before from a storm,” Schneider said.
“We’re not sure if we have any property damage. We have to do some clean-up today to investigate that, but I wished I wouldn’t have washed the windows on Saturday.”
Below is a collection of photos submitted to CBC Calgary from residents who experienced the hailstorm.
