Severe thunderstorms eye Alberta with big hail and tornado threat Saturday
Some areas of Alberta could be under the threat of severe thunderstorms on Saturday, with certain spots at risk of large hail and a tornado.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), thunderstorm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Centre say that there is a “conditionally” severe weather day on tap for parts of central Alberta.
Forecasters say there are two areas with a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms today, including one area presenting large hail and the chance of a tornado forming.
The diciest moderate-risk zone in Alberta for Aug. 16 is confined to the Edmonton region and expands eastward. Hazards in this area include wind gusts of up to 90 km/h, rainfall up to 50 mm, hail up to 5 cm in size, and a tornado risk.
The second moderate risk zone is to the west of Edmonton and stretches out to Hinton, that area will see the chance of wind gusts of up to 70 km/h, rainfall up to 50 mm, and hail up to 4 cm in size.
A minor risk zone is also present in large sections of Alberta, with areas just north of Calgary, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie, and Fort McMurray potentially seeing thunderstorms with wind gusts of up to 60 km/h, up to 50 mm of rainfall, and hail up to 2 cm in size.
A portion of that minor risk zone also has the chance of funnel cloud forming, which is confined to a section of northwestern Alberta.
ECCC Storm Prediction Centre Edmonton
As of writing, severe thunderstorm watches have been issued for some parts of the province, including the Edmonton metro region.
Taking a look at the seven-day forecast for Edmonton and Calgary, both cities are set to see some showers tomorrow, with some heat moving into both cities as we start a fresh work week.
Edmonton
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Calgary
Environment and Climate Change Canada
- You might also like:
- Calgary leads all major Canadian cities for rainfall this summer
- These are the 10 largest houses for sale in Alberta right now
- How this viral Alberta dog is doing one year after she stole our hearts
You can view the full ECCC thunderstorm outlook online.