Calgary grapples with aftermath of hailstorm that damaged property, caused airport delays
Cleanup process begins after massive mess created by Monday night storm
Calgary residents are grappling with the aftermath of a hailstorm that pummelled the region Monday night.
Hail battered northern parts of the city and left behind it a trail of destruction, including smashed windows, dented homes and vehicles as well as decimated gardens.
Sections of the Calgary International Airport were also closed due to hail and rain damage.
On Monday evening, Environment Canada meteorologists were tracking a severe thunderstorm and issued storm warnings for various regions in south central Alberta. At around 8 p.m., an Alberta Emergency Alert was issued for the City of Calgary and other southern areas, warning of torrential rainfall and potentially baseball-sized hail.
Netanya Winterburn lives in Sage Hill, a neighbourhood in northwest Calgary. She says the storm came quickly, and it felt like there was minimal time to prepare after the emergency alert had been issued.
"I remember looking out past the window, like across the field, and there was this giant lightning strike, which it's kind of humbling and interesting because you feel so small and powerless," said Winterburn.
"We were pretty scared. Normally, I don't get scared during storms, but even I found myself a little bit like, 'oh, don't stand too close to the windows.'"
The houses in her neighbourhood are damaged, with dents in the roof and chunks of siding missing. On top of that, her vehicle's windshield is cracked and her husband's tail lights are shattered. Winterburn says she's happy no one was injured, but the next step in dealing with the aftermath of the storm will be contacting their insurance companies.
"I tried calling, but the lines are so busy, which makes sense. So I filed a claim online. I know my husband's been trying to get through to insurance. He still hasn't been able to," said Winterburn.
"We're just trying to figure out how to move forward from a natural disaster."
Winterburn isn't alone. Many north Calgary residents are now figuring out how to clean up the massive mess left in the storm's wake.
Kim Ainsworth was also struggling to get in touch with her insurance company on Tuesday morning.
"I'm on hold with insurance for the second time because I got cut off the first time," she said.
Ainsworth believes she hasn't even been able to fully take note of all of the damage to her property yet because there's so much of it. The hailstorm damaged parts of her house, blasting holes in her hot tub cover and the siding of her home, and it also wreaked havoc on her daughter's car.
"I'm pretty sure the car's written off," said Ainsworth. "She's pretty upset."
Ainsworth says she's so far removed multiple garbage bags of broken glass from within the vehicle and around her property.
'Volatile atmosphere'
Kyle Brittain, freelance journalist and weather expert, told CBC Radio's the Calgary Eyeopener on Tuesday that a series of storms moved through the southern Alberta region on Monday night, and the conditions created a recipe for severe weather
"It was really kind of like a perfect combination of atmospheric ingredients that came together," he said.
Brittain says Alberta often has the right combination of terrain and atmosphere to create critical weather conditions, and Monday night's hailstorm was an example of those ingredients in action. He says storms often come rolling off the foothills, and can become very severe in only a matter of moments.
"Calgary is hail alley," said Brittain.
"There's a fairly typical zone that they can happen, but they can happen anywhere in the Calgary area … it seems like a lot of these storms do impact the northern half of the city."
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the storm had reached northwest Calgary around 7:45 p.m. on Monday.
"Across southern Alberta [Monday] evening, we have this volatile atmosphere that we're dealing with," Heather Pimiskern, an meteorologist with the agency, told CBC News during an interview on Monday.
Pimiskern says the largest hail size report to the agency from the Calgary area was roughly 4.5 centimetres in diameter, which is about the size of a golf ball.
However, she said other regions in south central Alberta, such as the Cochrane Lake area, had up to tennis ball-sized hail.
When it comes to hail in Calgary, Brittain says it's relatively typical for golf ball-sized hail to occur in the city, but even small hail can be damaging. Smaller hail has the potential to clog drains and destroy gardens and crops.
"It remains to be seen how much damage is actually done, especially compared to a storm like, say, June 13, 2020," said Brittain.
On Tuesday morning, the citywide assessment of the damage began, as residents were able to see their homes and vehicles in the cloudy daylight and repairs on Calgary's airport continued.
B and C airport gates still closed
The severe hailstorm significantly damaged a terminal building at the Calgary International Airport, resulting in closures for parts of the domestic terminal building and delayed flights.
As a result, over 80 flights scheduled to arrive at or depart from YYC have been cancelled on Tuesday," reads an email statement sent to CBC News from WestJet, adding that a travel advisory has been posted to its website.
"All WestJet aircraft impacted by the storm are currently undergoing inspections and maintenance, with some aircraft requiring more maintenance due to various levels of hail damage."
In a followup email sent Wednesday, the Calgary-based carrier said 16 of its aircraft — 10 per cent of its fleet capacity — need repairs and inspections before they can be put back in service.
Air Canada told CBC News that 23 of their flights had also been affected by the weather on Monday and Tuesday. The company is now using larger planes to help clear the backlog caused by delayed or cancelled flights.
Flights remain operational at YYC following the water damage from the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#abstorm</a> to parts of the terminal building (B and C gates) yesterday evening. While these areas remain closed, we've shifted operations to other gates. (1/3)
—@FlyYYCAs of just after 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the Calgary Airport Authority confirmed via a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, that the B and C gates remain closed until further notice.
In an email statement sent Tuesday afternoon, the authority says Calgary International Airport experienced "approximately 52 mm of rain and intense hail in a short period of time, resulting in significant damage."
"For the safety of our guests and employees, the authority made the decision to evacuate and close B gates and some C gates at approximately 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 5. Our teams continue to monitor the situation and assess the extent of damage."
City still assessing damage
Some vegetation around the affected areas of the city has also taken a hit.
In an email statement to CBC News, a spokesperson with the City of Calgary says crews are actively assessing hail damage in the northeast and northwest.
"There is some impact to younger trees, however not to the same level we experienced in the northeast 2020 storm," reads the statement.
"The situation on tree impact could change as crews complete assessments."
The statement also noted that the Calgary Fire Department responded to approximately 50 weather-related incidents within a concentrated part of the city's northeast. While responding to the incidents, seven CFD apparatus were damaged by the hail.
A spokesperson for Alberta Health Services told CBC News on Tuesday that EMS had no weather-related injury calls.
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With files from Karina Zapata, Tiphanie Roquette, Omar Sherif and Eve Côté