Parts of southern Alberta, including Calgary, were hit by stormy weather on Sunday night and at one point a tornado warning was even issued in the Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26.
Environment and Climate Change Canada upgraded a severe thunderstorm warning to a tornado warning for areas including Nanton, Vulcan, Carmangay, Lomond, Stavely, Claresholm and Parkland at 6:51 p.m.
The weather agency said its meteorologists were tracking a severe thunderstorm “that is possibly producing a tornado.”
“Damaging winds, large hail and locally intense rainfall are also possible,” ECCC said before the warning was lifted at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
In the town of Nanton, ferocious winds caused widespread damage, toppling trees and terrifying residents.
“All of a sudden it just hit like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The intensity of the wind, the rain and the hail all at once,” said Nanton mayor Jennifer Handley.
She believes the tornado warning came a little too late. “We didn’t get the tornado warning until probably about five minutes into the storm, and by then it was already starting to die down.”
“We were questioning, is it going to get worse than this? What’s happening?”
Carol Lockhurst and her husband were sitting in their trailer near the Nanton golf course when the storm hit.
“The winds were unbelievable, and then it started to rain and it rained so hard we couldn’t see outside the trailer,” she said.
“It sounded like it sounded like a herd of horses were on top of the trailer.”
Canada Day turned into a work day for many in the town, as they cleaned up roads and pumped water out of the golf course.
“There’s a lot of carnage. Our town staff was really quick to respond. They were in their vehicles almost immediately after the storm had passed,” said Handley.
“They were working well into midnight last night cleaning up the stuff that was blocking the main ways and ensuring the roads were clear,” she added.
The large amount of rain and hail also forced the cancellation of the Nanton night rodeo event on Canada Day.
In Calgary and surrounding areas, residents experienced rain, hail and powerful wind gusts.
Large pools of water slowed traffic on parts of Deerfoot Trail. The Calgary Police Service told Global News it had received calls about other flooded roads from concerned drivers.