Storm with 90 km/h winds topples trees all over Calgary

City crews and private arborists were working flat out Friday in the wake of the sudden, severe thunderstorm that roared over Calgary Thursday evening, toppling trees in many areas of the city.

The storm hit Calgary at about 7:30 p.m., bringing pelting rain and wind gusts up to 90 km/h.

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The city received more than 130 service requests Friday morning, including reports of large trees that tumbled over in the storm, said urban forestry lead Jeannette Wheeler

"And they just keep piling up as the day has gone on," she said. "We will have crews out all through the weekend."

Wheeler said city crews are prioritizing the work, focusing first on getting debris off roads and sidewalks.

Several power lines were also knocked down, cutting power to about 2,400 houses in several neighbourhoods, including Pump Hill, Palliser, Oakridge, Tuscany, Hawkwood and Edgemont. 

Enmax said all of the affected homes had electricity restored by Friday morning. 

Environment Canada had issued severe thunderstorm watches for much of southern Alberta, including Calgary. It also issued a tornado watch for Brooks, Strathmore and Vulcan, which was lifted at about 9:30 p.m.

Arborist Daniel Walcz says the calls came early and fast on Friday.

"We just scratched all the regular work we had planned and then scheduled the emergency work," he said.

"We'll probably go until the sun goes down, I think."

The storm also left a trail of damage in some popular spots in the mountain parks.

Parks Canada says trees were downed in the Johnston Canyon campground, forcing officials to relocate about 100 campers to Tunnel Mountain.

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