Severe thunderstorm watch, rainfall warning issued for northeast Alberta
CBC News | Posted: July 21, 2018 4:54 PM | Last Updated: July 22, 2018
Watches issued for Fort McMurray and Wabasca, rainfall warning for Fort Chipewyan
Alberta's gloomy weather continues this weekend, with Environment Canada issuing severe thunderstorm watches for the Fort McMurray and Wabasca regions, and a rainfall warning for the Fort Chipewyan area.
Severe thunderstorm warnings were initially issued for the Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan regions about 4:20 p.m. on Saturday, as Environment Canada meteorologists were tracking thunderstorms north of Fort McMurray.
Environment Canada said the storms could have produced strong wind gusts, heavy rain and pea to dime-size hail.
The warning was downgraded to a watch in the Fort McMurray area, while a rainfall warning went into effect for the Fort Chipewyan region at 5:13 p.m. Saturday.
Rainfall warning
Thunderstorms moved into the southern part of the Fort Chipewyan region Saturday evening, and are expected to cause heavy rainfall. The storms will spread north later Saturday night, Environment Canada says.
Between 40 and 60 millimetres of rain are expected to fall between Saturday and Sunday night.
Environment Canada warns that downpours can cause flash floods and large puddles on roads.
Earlier Saturday, rainfall warnings were in effect for Grande Prairie, Beaverlodge, Valleyview, Hinton, Grande Cache, Peace River, Fairview, High Prairie and Manning.