A new map shows just how damaging Calgary's August hailstorm was
If you were curious about reports of damage from the mammoth hailstorm that rolled through Calgary earlier this month, a new map details just how damaging the storm was.
The map shows areas of Calgary that were impacted by the hailstorm earlier this month, with the hail damage contours collected by the Northern Hail Project (NHP) Field Team.
Hail damage contours range from minor, moderate, threshold, and severe, and it appears that the worst hit part of the city was in the extreme north, with reports collected of “widespread severe siding damage, multiple broken windows on each street, multiple car windshields smashed, widespread roof damage.”
NHP Damage Survey Map
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says during the afternoon and evening of August 5, an area of severe thunderstorms developed over southern Alberta and moved to the east, producing significant and damaging hail, strong winds, and heavy rain.
ECCC says it received many reports of hail damage in Calgary, with hailstones up to the size of hen eggs and localized flooding.
NHP also stated that the hail swath was more than 120 km long and 12 km wide. Strong winds also seemed to play a role in increasing damage, per its release regarding its urban hail investigation on the storm.
The storm was so severe it damaged more than a dozen WestJet planes at the Calgary International Airport, requiring them to be repaired and inspected before they could be returned to service.
It added that with the aircraft removed from service, there will be a corresponding decrease in capacity, inevitably resulting in cancellations across its network.