Edmonton and several regions surrounding the city were placed under a severe thunderstorm watch early Wednesday afternoon. By mid-afternoon, several Alberta counties were also under severe thunderstorm warnings.
The City of Calgary was put under a severe thunderstorm watch just after 4 p.m.
For areas under severe thunderstorm watches, Environment Canada says conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may bring with them strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain.
Areas under severe thunderstorm warnings have an imminent threat of severe weather for their region.
As storms continue to develop Wednesday afternoon, they’ll start to take form along the foothills and move east into central parts of the province. This includes the Edmonton region by Wednesday evening, according to Global Edmonton’s chief meteorologist, Jesse Beyer.
“We have the ingredients in place for severe thunderstorms. We have the moisture, the instability and upper-level features to drive these storms in place,” Beyer said.
“The main threat due to these storms will be up to golf ball-sized hail and damaging wind gusts reaching up to 90-100km/h in certain areas within the watch zone.”
Beyer said there is the potential for funnel clouds Wednesday, but it’s unlikely one would actually touch down.
“With all severe thunderstorms and what’s called ‘supercell’ storms, there is a risk for tornadoes. The environment in our area is showing a slim chance of a tornado touching down, however, there are indications for possible rotating storms.”
For the latest information on weather watches and warnings, head to Environment Canada’s website.
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