Hail, strong winds, and a chance of tornadoes to hit central Alberta

Thunder and lightning may be frightening, but tornadoes are another beast entirely.

Central Alberta is expected to get pummeled by large hail, severe winds, and the possibility of tornadoes late Wednesday afternoon/early evening, as severe thunderstorms make their way into the region east of Edmonton.

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Multiple tornadoes have already been confirmed in the province by Environment Canada over the past week, and now The Weather Network is warning that more may be to come.

Calgarians have been no strangers to lightning, as multiple strikes were seen throughout the southern Alberta skies as recently as Tuesday night, and while the most populous Albertan city may not be nearly as at risk of tornadoes as their northern neighbours, keeping an eye on the forecast, and having an emergency plan in mind is never a bad idea.

The most severe parts of Wednesday’s storm is expected to be seen in the regions of Wainwright, Cold Lake, and Lloydminster, all thanks to a developing low-pressure system to the east of the Rockies, according to The Weather Network.

The Weather Network

Environment Canada has put a number of regions under a severe thunderstorm watch as of 1:31 pm on Wednesday, warning that “conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms that may be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, damaging hail, and heavy rain.”

These watches are in place for the regions of Drayton Valley, Devon, Rimbey, Pigeon Lake, Leduc, Camrose, Wetaskiwin, Tofield, Lloydminster, Wainwright, Vermilion, Provost, Red Deer, Ponoka, Innisfail, Stettler, Rocky Mountain House, and Caroline.

Albertans can keep up to date by checking Environment Canada’s alert page on their website and by checking out #abstorm on Twitter.