Alberta, Saskatchewan feel nature's wrath

[tropicana]

Fri June 17, 2005

Tornadoes, lightning and golf-ball sized hail flipped trailers and knocked out power to sections of southern Alberta and southeastern Saskatchewan on Friday evening while intense rain caused a supermarket roof to collapse in one rural community.
Environment Canada meteorologists said tornadoes had touched down near Medicine Hat, Alta., and south of Swift Current, Sask., at about 5 p.m. Friday evening.

Scott McCormick, a meteorologist with Environment Canada in Edmonton, said the twisters didn't cause much damage, according to reports. But he said the lightning, as well as the hail, has caused significant power disruption in Medicine Hat.

McCormick said there were several unstable weather systems in the region that the agency was keeping a close eye on.

In Coaldale, Alta., intense rain from a thunderstorm on Friday afternoon caused the roof at the Food Mart to collapse.
Kevin Viergutz, director of disaster services in Coaldale, said it was a miracle that only one clerk got a minor scratch.

In Melville, Sask., a state of emergency was declared after 100 millimetres of rain fell in less than an hour.
About 400 homes in Melville, 145 kilometres northeast of Regina, had varying degrees of flood damage.
of that heavy downpour," said Mayor Wilfred Reiger.

Bill Derby with Saskatchewan's Public Safety Department said sewers were backed up and the municipal water system was shut down.
There were no evacuations as of mid-afternoon, but Derby said officials weren't ruling anything out.
Derby said provincial officials were on the scene along with health officials who will determine when the water can be turned back on.

Runoff had to be pumped quickly from a supermarket parking lot because emergency officials feared gas from an underground storage tank would leak into the city's water and sewer system.
Bob Cormier, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said a downpour that large is highly unusual.
"Typically a heavy thunderstorm will drop probably 20 to 30 millimetres most of the time," Cormier said. "So 100 millimetres in 40 minutes is a very torrential downpour."

There were flood warnings and watches out for most of southern and central Alberta due to the storm system on Friday.

Residents in High River, Alta., who were flooded out last weekend, were expecting to be flooded out again by Saturday morning. Calgary remained under a HEAVY RAINFALL WARNING and the city was expecting up to 100 mm of rain by Saturday.

Town officials have reopened the reception centre for evacuees although there was no evacuation order in place.

The Highwood River that goes through the town south of Calgary was expected to peak overnight.

-justin-

[shaner]

It's gotten worse. Calgary has now declared a state of emergency in advance of the Bow River and Elbow River rising out of their banks.

Personally, I live in the lowest area in Calgary with the Bow River 1/2 mile up the road. I hope the river stays where it is for tonight.

[tropicana]

take care there Shaner! Be sure to check in and keep us updated on the soggy situation over there.

-justin-

[tropicana]

Tornadoes spotted in southern Manitoba
Sun, 19 Jun 2005 11am EDT

Tornado warnings were issued Sunday morning as a series of severe thunderstorms moved through parts of southern Manitoba.
People in Altona say as many as three twisters hit in and around their town, which is southwest of Winnipeg near the North Dakota border.
Other tornadoes were spotted in Gretna and Grunthal, Environment Canada reported.

Meteorologist Mike Russo says heavy thunderstorms have hit the areas of Morden and Gretna, bringing wind speeds in excess of 100 kilometres per hour.
Wind gusts as high as 140 kilometres per hour and power outages were reported in Gretna.
Russo says the system was moving quite quickly and was expected to move eastwards and out of the area by around noon.

-justin-

[tropicana]

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Parts of flood-ravaged Alberta were lashed by tornadoes and golf ball-sized hailstones Tuesday night, only hours after insurers estimated flood losses would exceed $200 million.
A severe thunderstorm watch for Calgary was issued shortly before 10 p.m.

The warm, humid conditions caused a hailstorm west of Calgary, with warnings of large hailstones, heavy rain and damaging winds.
Downtown, power surges kept firefighters hopping Tuesday night resetting fire alarms.
Thunderstorms in southern B.C. were expected to blow over the continental divide after midnight.

In a weather warning, Environment Canada said large hailstones were reported west of Claresholm and at least one tornado seen near Lethbridge.
Vulcan, Champion, Lethbridge, the Blood First Nation including Stand Off and the M.D. of Willow Creek were among communities put on notice.
Tammy Cote, a Lethbridge resident, said her home was pummelled for 20 minutes by hailstones as big as golf balls.


Just after 8 p.m., a large tornado touched down for about two minutes between Taber and Vauxhall.
Within 25 minutes, the worst part of the storm was looming south of Vauxhall.

Meanwhile, across waterlogged Alberta, 14 municipalities remained in states of emergency, at least 15 highways and several parks were closed and hundreds of people remained out of their homes.
In Calgary, more than 150 flood victims sought assistance at the city's disaster relief centre, while two people were charged with failing to comply with outdoor water restrictions.

Most of Calgary's 2,000 evacuees were back home Tuesday, but a handful of residents were told it might be weeks before they would be allowed to return.

Further north, residents in Edmonton and Drayton Valley remained on high alert as a swollen North Saskatchewan River threatened low-lying communities.

-justin-