Severe weather in Southern Alberta
Posted Jul 17, 2014 4:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Thunderstorm watches and warnings swept across parts of southern and central Alberta on Thursday.
Calgary was under a thunderstorm watch for most of the afternoon.
North of the city, Environment Canada had issued tornado watches for Airdrie, Cochrane, Olds, Sundre, Red Deer, Drumheller, Hanna and Coronation, at one point..
One caller tells 660News, a vehicle on the QE–II was hit with hail pretty hard, which took out the back window.
Pictures of vehicles in Airdrie and Balzac show several sunroofs and windshields also suffering damage.
Quarter and Toonie sized hail has also been reported in several areas.
Sudden temperature changes have also been reported with locales like Red Deer dropping five degrees in as many minutes.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Bill McMurtry tells 660News, it is important for people to keep their eyes on the sky.
“There’s a good chance in central portions of the province in south-central parts of tornadoes,” says McMurtry.
He said they dynamic sky could mean warning times for events like a tornado could be down to between five and 15 minutes.
