The Stampede has officially kicked off, and with it, Calgary’s summer storm season.
On Thursday night, during sneak-a-peek, Stampede-goers were battered by a late afternoon thunderstorm that inundated parts of the city with heavy rain and hail.
Despite the wild weather, Stampede officials said the crowds persevered.
“The rain didn’t dampen spirits as people got their first look at Stampede 2023,” the Calgary Stampede’s director of public safety and environment Kerrie Blizard said. “We saw above-average attendance.”
While veteran Stampede-goers aren’t strangers to the unpredictable weather during the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, Blizard said there are several policies and procedures in place, including show delay and cancellations, a severe weather notification system and an onsite lightning detector.
“We start getting lightning notifications as far as 50 kilometres away, so it gives us ample time to evacuate any of those high rides,” Blizard said.
Many Albertans are already on edge this year due to devastating wildfires that forced mass evacuations and a Canada Day twister near Didsbury, Alta., that destroyed several homes.
Blizard said Stampede officials prepare for extreme weather events annually.
“We do emergency tabletops every year where we practice weather events with our people in different scenarios to make sure they’re prepared to address whatever comes up.”
This year, the Stampede said it’s also including more indoor events and exhibits, including the 100 Years of Chuckwagon Racing Historical Display in the Victoria Pavilion and upgrades to the Range Food Hall in the Big Four Building.
“In past years, the BMO Centre has been the place to let a rainstorm pass through,” Blizard said. “But this year, we have added more covered areas and more climate-controlled spaces.”