‘Have a plan’, CEMA chief says as Calgary enters extreme weather season

CALGARY – The heatwave Calgary is in is a reminder that we’re in extreme weather season–and at a drop of a hat, it can change from blisteringly hot to hailing golf balls.

Meteorologist Michael Kuss says Environment Canada issued a heat warning for the next few days because we’re not ready for days this hot this early in the year.

“A 30-degree day in the summertime is not unusual–in fact, that’s what we expect to see in Calgary. But when we see it this early in the year, we’re just not prepared,” he said.

READ MORE: Calgary could break temp records this week, heat warning in effect

Calgary could break temperature records Wednesday and Thursday with highs of 31 and 32 expected.

And we know really hot days can bring along intense thunderstorms.

If we take a look at what was happening around this time last year, you’ll likely remember a historically devastating hail storm.

June 13 marks a year since a hailstorm wreaked havoc on the northeast, destroying cars and tearing roofing and siding off of houses.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada said last year that the storm caused almost $1.2 billion in insured damages, making it the costliest hailstorm in Canadian history and the fourth costliest natural disaster of all time.

RELATED: Calgarians can now apply for the city’s hail damage roofing rebate

And with the city seeing hailstorms pretty much every single summer, Sue Henry, the chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, says this year is no different.

“It’s the time to take action and the time to take action is when the sun is out,” she said.

“Get up on that roof, clean out your gutters, and point your gutters away from the house. Review your insurance plan and just be ready for what we know happens in Calgary quite frequently.”

She explains hailstorms are difficult to predict and they pop up very quickly.

You should make sure all your prep work is done the moment that Environment Canada issues a warning for another or hailstorm or any other extreme shift in the weather.

“Preparedness is a shared responsibility around all of us. We need to understand what insurance coverage we have, we need to make sure we understand the risks associated with where we live. We need to have a plan and a 72-hour kit to help us through what’s become normal for Calgary.”