Calgary cleans up after thunderstorm rips through southern Alberta
CBC News | Posted: June 8, 2017 8:48 PM | Last Updated: June 9, 2017
Storm brought wind gusts up to 90 km/h, downed trees, knocked out power in some areas
Calgarians will be cleaning up Friday after a powerful thunderstorm rolled through southern Alberta Thursday, bringing thunder, lightning, and wind gusts upwards of 90 kilometres per hour that toppled trees and knocked out power to thousands of homes.
The thunderstorm hit Calgary at 7:30 p.m., bringing down trees all over the city, some of which knocked down power lines.
About 2,400 houses lost power in several neighbourhoods, including Pump Hill, Palliser, and Oakridge, Tuscany, Hawkwood and Edgemont.
Enmax had extra staff on the ground to handle any issues during the storm. The power company said all of the affected homes had electricity restored by Friday morning.
Environment Canada 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.
The agency said the low pressure system arrived from the Pacific Northwest and was expected to cause severe thunderstorms in the Foothills, capable of producing damaging wind gusts and large hail.
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