Thunderstorms with large hail may target heavily populated parts of Alberta on Saturday
Severe thunderstorms may be in the cards for parts of Alberta this weekend, with storms that could produce large hail to some heavily populated spots on Saturday.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), thunderstorm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Centre show a severe thunderstorm tornado risk in Alberta for tomorrow, Aug. 8.
There is a prominent moderate risk zone present in the province on Saturday, which includes areas such as Edmonton, Calgary, Hinton, and Red Deer.
Weather risks in that area include wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres an hour, with thunderstorms that could produce hail up to four centimetres in size, the equivalent of a ping-pong ball. Rainfall totals of up to 30 millimetres may also be at play.
Areas northwest of Edmonton, stretching up to Grande Prairie and Peace River, are under a minor weather risk that may also see thunderstorms that could produce hail up to 2.5 centimetres in size, wind gusts up to 70 kilometres an hour, and rainfall totals up to 20 millimetres.
An additional minor weather risk zone may be present in east-central Alberta and south of Calgary. Weather risks in that area include wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres an hour, with thunderstorms that could produce hail up to four centimetres in size, the equivalent of a ping-pong ball. Rainfall totals of up to 30 millimetres may also be at play.
ECCC Storm Prediction Centre
You can view the full ECCC thunderstorm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Centre online.
If you were curious about how the weather is shaping up for this month, we chatted with ECCC about how August may look.