An emergency alert for Westlock, Alta. that was issued Monday night due to flooding has been dropped.
Alberta Emergency Alert said flood waters in the central Alberta town have receded and the risk of flooding has been reduced.
The alert was issued shortly after 7 p.m. Monday as parts of central Alberta were slammed with severe weather.
Area residents were asked to avoid all flooded areas and not to drive past any roadblocks.
Dean Krause, the CAO of Westlock, told Global News the northwest part of the town, which is also home to the industrial area, was hit the hardest. According to Krause, eight blocks within the industrial area were shut down because of flooding. He added that downtown businesses had been damaged by flooding.
Krause said he planned to meet with the fire chief and operations manager Tuesday morning to assess the damage in Westlock.
Krause said the flooding peaked around the supper hour and crews were working to respond to sewer backups and flooded basements across the entire town. He also said flooding caused the closure of Highway 18 and Highway 44. The highways were reopened by Tuesday morning.
Watch below: Residents of the town of Westlock, Alta. were cleaning up Tuesday after a major storm led to the kind of torrential downpour many haven’t seen in half a century. Shallima Maharaj reports.
The town of Westlock is about a one-hour drive northwest of Edmonton.
Flooding was also reported in Drayton Valley Tuesday morning.
Flooding was also reported by viewers in Onoway, about a 45-minute drive southwest of Westlock, and in Buck Lake, which is about a 90-minute drive southwest of Edmonton. The extent of flooding in those communities is unknown.
Dawna Wicklund, who lives between Buck Lake and Alder Flats, said the water was so high in some places it was going over the hood of her pickup truck.
“Roads are starting to wash away,” Wicklund said over Facebook. “It rained non-stop from two in the morning…fences are starting to fall over.”
Watch below: Quinn Ohler and Margeaux Morin have the latest details on the weather in central Alberta, as of 11 p.m. Monday.
In Onoway, however, the situation appeared to be under control. Dale Krasnow, the town’s mayor, told Global News that while some roads briefly flooded when the town’s storm infrastructure was overhwelmed by the rain, there was no major flooding concern in the municipality.
Video and photos submitted to Global News from Cold Lake, about a three-hour drive northeast of Edmonton, appear to show a funnel cloud over the lake. In one video, a funnel cloud appears to be touching down which would be a waterspout tornado, however, that has not been confirmed by Environment Canada. The video was reportedly taken at about 7:20 p.m.
Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland told Global News the funnel cloud formed over a popular part of the lake called Horseshoe Bay but that it never appeared to make landfall. He also said there were no reports of any damage as a result of the funnel cloud.
Watch below: This video from Cold Lake appears to show a funnel cloud over the lake.At one point, it appears to show the funnel cloud touching down which would be a waterspout tornado, however, that has not been confirmed by Environment Canada. The video was reportedly taken at about 7:20 p.m. (COURTESY: Denise Leniuk Kissel)
In Sundre, Alta. the Tall Timber Leisure Park was evacuated after a powerful storm blew through the area, downing trees and power lines and causing a power outage.
A statement on the campground’s website asked visitors not to return to Tall Timber until “advised to do so.”
READ MORE: Central Alberta campground evacuated during powerful summer storm
Town officials said crews with Fortis Alberta were working to fix power lines and clear toppled trees.
Severe thunderstorm warnings and rainfall warnings were issued for various parts of Alberta throughout Monday evening. All rainfall warnings for Alberta were dropped by noon Tuesday.
For the latest on watches and warnings from Environment Canada, click here.
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READ MORE: Tornado touched down in central Alberta Sunday: Environment Canada
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