Albertans were warned Tuesday conditions were prime for severe summer storm activity and now, residents of a community south of Edmonton are cleaning up after being hit by severe weather.
A storm swept through Ma-Me-O Beach on Pigeon Lake Tuesday night, downing trees – some of which landed on and damaged homes.
It was a hot, muggy evening and many residents said they were outside around suppertime enjoying the weather when all of a sudden the wind picked up drastically.
Sandra Wright said the force of the wind blew open her back door. She went to close it and an open window when her husband yelled out he saw a tree fall.
“It just landed on the roof with a big thump and vibrated the cabin a little bit,” Wright said.
Instead of coming off the waters of Pigeon Lake as usual, residents said the wind came from the opposite direction.
Residents said the storm was brief, but fierce, with wind gusts uprooting or snapping dozens of massive trees in the lake community about an hour south of Edmonton. (Scroll down to see photos.)
“We were shocked. There was a huge wind and there was some rain and a little bit of hail. And it only lasted maybe five minutes, at the most.”
Wright said it it doesn’t appear their home suffered much damage, but they couldn’t tell what shape the roof was in from the ground.
“It’s hard to see and we’re not going up — we’re elderly senior citizens,” she said with a chuckle.
Shane Sledz lost five of the six trees on his property, but the only other damage was to his fence and a shed. He said he’s shocked.
“I thought these trees would outlive me for sure but they obviously didn’t. It’s kind of strange that they’re all gone and the neighbours’ are completely untouched,” Sledz said.
“There was nobody out here. Nobody got hurt. The power didn’t go out. I mean, it’s almost victimless – this kind of thing, but still unfortunate.”
He spent Wednesday morning taking a chainsaw to the downed trees and cleaning up the yard.
“I’m not too sure what we’ll do (for) landscaping going forwards, but cleanup’s first thing and then we’ll go from there,” Sledz said.
A few blocks away, his neighbours weren’t as lucky.
Homeowner Owner Andy Caine said they were were visiting a neighbour when the storm snuck up on them Tuesday night.
“We heard the crackling,” Caine said, adding a tree almost landed on his friend. “We were so happy that he didn’t get hurt. And then we found out our place got hit too.”
He went home to find a large tree had fallen on the cabin that’s has been in his family for three generations and is more than 100 years old.
Inside the home, the ceiling tiles popped off the roof from the weight of the trees. Caine’s backyard is a disaster as well and he said the damage has put a damper on summer plans.
“We’re really sad. I mean, like summer’s a short season and if you have to take months and months fixing something — then summer’s over.”
Environment Canada meteorologists on Tuesday said parts of central and northern Alberta could see severe thunderstorm activity and strong winds with the potential to trigger tornadoes.
Albertans were told to expect typical summer severe weather on Tuesday and into Wednesday, that could include localized heavy rain, large hail and the possibility of tornadoes.
The weather system that brought cooler temperatures and rain also triggered a wind shift. Winds that had been coming from the south shifted to come from the north.
BELOW: Photos of damage in Ma-Me-O Beach, Alta.
— With files from Emily Mertz, Global News
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