Edmonton area hit by 2nd-strongest winds on record in Thursday storm
Thunderstorm gusts hit 129 km/h, prompting emergency alert
A powerful thunderstorm swept through Edmonton Thursday night, prompting an emergency warning before the area was hit by the strongest wind gusts in nearly 60 years.
Winds in the region reached up to 129 km/h, which marks the second-strongest gusts ever recorded in the city, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
"We're expecting wind gusts of, generally speaking, 90 km/h, maybe 100 km/h out of those [thunderstorms]," said Alysa Pederson, a warning preparedness meteorologist for the agency.
ECCC said the storm developed from a strong low-pressure system and cold front, which is typical of Alberta's summer thunderstorm season.
But this event was more intense than usual, prompting a rare "broadcast intrusive" alert, reserved for only the most severe conditions, Pederson said.
The storm moved in fast, hitting the Edmonton International Airport around 7:15 p.m. MT Thursday, causing structural damage to a few buildings and the windows of vehicles in several lots.
"It was a quick one. It came through here in about four minutes from start to finish," said Erin Isfeld, the Edmonton International Airport's manager of corporate communications.
"We really came through this pretty much unscathed, when you think about damage to structures and vehicles; that kind of thing can be replaced or fixed. What we're really happy about is that no one was injured." she said.
Airport officials had a few minutes' warning before the storm struck and moved quickly to protect staff and travellers.
The airport closed its departure-level ramp in case of flying debris, and personnel ushered people into the terminal to ensure their safety, Isfeld said.
Four flights were diverted to Calgary, and the airport experienced a short ground delay. Operations resumed within an hour.
Airport staff knew the storm was coming, Isfeld said, "but I'm not too sure anybody really anticipated winds of 129 km/h."
"We haven't seen winds here at Edmonton International like that for the last 60 years," she said. "So [it's] a very rare event to happen here."
Pederson, of ECCC, said Edmonton last experienced stronger winds on Oct. 1, 1965, when gusts reached 146 km/h.
The storm caused damage across several Edmonton neighbourhoods and surrounding areas. Trees were uprooted or snapped, and debris damaged some homes, fences, vehicles and power lines.
Kolton Canning, an arbourist and owner of Trusty Tree Services, said his business' phones haven't stopped ringing.
"We are struggling to keep up and we have a very specialized team and system to deal with this," he said.
His crews are removing massive fallen trees, including a 21-metre pine that crashed onto a home, he said.
They're dealing with a variety of trees, but a lot of pines and spruce fell on cars, sheds, houses and fences, he said, adding that areas like Brookside, Sherwood Park and Fort Saskatchewan were hit particularly hard.
In the aftermath, Epcor reported four power outages affecting 37 customers in various parts of Edmonton, but crews restored power by the end of the night.
"While our electrical system is designed to handle a wide variety of conditions, outages do occur for a variety of reasons, including high winds and storms," Epcor said in a statement.
Residents are urged not to approach downed power lines or branches tangled in electrical wires. Instead, they should stay 10 metres back and report it to 911 or the utility company, Epcor said.
"We will send a crew with proper safety equipment to remove the object and repair any damage," the company said.
Pederson, from ECCC, noted that climate change could cause more events like this.
"We are seeing impacts of climate change across Alberta, across western North America. The further north you are, the greater that change is," she said.
"Warmer air means it can hold more moisture, which leads to its ability to have bigger thunderstorms and bigger extremes for severe weather."
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With files from Andrea Huncar and Travis McEwan
