EDMONTON – Heavy rain and marble sized hail pounded the capital region overnight, causing a number of safety issues. The south side of the city appears to have been hit the hardest.
The storm began around 3:00 Thursday morning with a severe thunderstorm warning for the Edmonton area issued by Environment Canada around 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
Emergency crews have been working non-stop since early this morning, responding to calls related to flooding and lightening strikes.
“Any of the low lying areas are totally under water, flooded,” says Captain Shelnut with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services adding, “I haven’t seen anything like this. The whole southside seems to be affected by the weather that went through.”
Whitemud Drive between 111th Street and 106th Street is completely shut down in both directions, due to severe flooding, which has engulfed at least two cars.
Several other intersections have turned into lakes of water, as the sewer system was unable to keep up with the massive amount of water that fell in a very short amount of time.
Another hard hit area in on 66 Street between 38th Avenue and 41st Avenue. A number of vehicles have been left stranded, with water up to the windows.
Many residents were awoken from sleep in the wee hours of the morning due to power outages and flooding.
Janice Honey has lived in Edmonton for 38 years. She got out of bed around 5:00am when her power went out.
“I’ve got water in the garage, which i’ve never had before,” says Honey adding with a laugh, “This is Alberta, it is what it is.”
There have been no reports of any sever injuries. Temperatures are expected to soar to 30 degrees Thursday afternoon.
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