Highway 1 westbound was completely underwater in the town of Strathmore east of Calgary Thursday as the result of a massive storm system sweeping through Alberta.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Strathmore area shortly after 1 p.m., which ended about 20 minutes later. It was quickly followed by another warning, shortly before 3:30 p.m..
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“When I saw the clouds, I thought we were going to get a twister, when I looked at first,” Strathmore resident Bernie Haniak said. “Out my trailer door you couldn’t even see outside. It was just a sheet of water and hail. But, it’s come and gone! Just like that! Unbelievable.”
Crews wearing waders were climbing into the water, which was about chest high by 5 p.m., as they worked to clear storm drains.