People in communities across Calgary are cleaning up after a powerful storm moved through the province on Thursday toppling trees and causing power outages.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Calgary at around 12:40 p.m., saying conditions were favourable for the development of dangerous storms thanks to a low pressure system approaching Alberta from the Pacific Northwest.
The thunderstorm watch was then upgraded to a warning at around 7:30 p.m.
Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued when imminent thunderstorms are likely to produce large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.
By 9:45 p.m., all watches and warnings in Calgary had ended.
According to Environment Canada, Calgary saw 13.2 mm of rainfall on Thursday.
Violent storm causes destruction in Calgary
The fast-moving thunderstorm that ripped through Calgary on Thursday toppled trees in several communities, including Oakridge, where a tree came down in the 3000 block of Palliser Drive S.W.
Alishah Qassamali said she and her family had just returned to their home as the storm picked up.
“We just heard a big gust of wind and the power went out – we didn’t think anything of it.”
“It was pretty scary,” Qassamali added. “It more so fell on the neighbour’s house so we were making sure that he was okay.”
In the community of Acadia, a tree was toppled along Academy Drive S.E.
In the community of Coach Hill, a tree was downed in a residential yard in the 100 block of Coach Grove Place S.W.
The Calgary Fire Department said it responded to at least 30 storm-related calls.
At least 14 communities across Calgary were impacted by power outages during Thursday’s thunderstorm. By early Friday morning no outages were reported by Enmax on its website.
Was your home or yard damaged by Thursday’s storm? Email photos and your contact information to Calgary@globalnews.ca and we may use them on air or online.
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