Risk of baseball-sized hail in severe thunderstorms in Alberta today
A busy weather day for some heavily populated areas of Alberta may be on the way for the second consecutive day, with the risk of seeing severe thunderstorms that could drop very large hail.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), thunderstorm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Centre show large portions of Alberta at risk of potentially seeing some severe thunderstorm activity today, July 5.
There is a high-risk zone for the province today, hugging southern Alberta with spots like Brooks, Vulcan, High River, Nanton, and a stretch of Highway 2 under the gun. If you are travelling around to check out the Calgary Stampede, be sure to be weather aware this afternoon.
Weather risks in that area include wind gusts of up to 110 kilometres an hour, with thunderstorms that could bring hail up to six centimetres in size, the equivalent of a baseball. Up to 30 millimetres of rain may also occur if a thunderstorm materializes.
There is also a moderate weather risk for large populations, including in Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere, Medicine Hat, and Lethbridge. Weather risks in that area include wind gusts of up to 110 kilometres an hour, with thunderstorms that could bring hail up to four centimetres in size, the equivalent of a golf ball. Around 30 millimetres of rain may also fall due to a storm.
ECCC Storm Prediction Centre
Elsewhere in the province, a risk of seeing wind gusts up to 70 kilometres an hour, hail up to two centimetres in size, and up to 30 millimetres of rain blankets many areas, including Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Hinton, Edson, High Level, Peace River, Banff, and Jasper.
You can check for any current weather watches and warnings on the ECCC website.