Severe thunderstorm damages cars, homes, windows, and airport in Calgary

Many Calgarians are dealing with the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that rolled through the city Monday night, shattering windows, denting cars, and even causing sections of the YYC International Airport’s terminal roof to collapse.

An emergency alert was issued just before 7:45 p.m. Monday, warning of a storm that could produce strong wind gusts, up to baseball size hail and heavy rain.

Footage online captured the chaos at Calgary’s airport just half an hour later — alarms going off, roof panels falling, and water pooling on the floor.

In a post to social media, YYC confirms hail and heavy rain caused damage to the terminal building.

It adds that B gates and C gates were evacuated for the safety of guests and staff. No injuries have been reported.

However, delays to inbound and outbound flights are expected. Travelers are advised to check with their airline for updates on their flight.

The storm made its way through the north-end of the city, causing destruction in communities like Skyview and Cornerstone before heading east towards Strathmore.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) meteorologist Heather Pimiskern says it was a supercell storm, which isn’t uncommon for Calgary.

“You will also see more severe weather associated with them and that includes larger hail, and so we have seen hail this size in the Calgary area before,” she explained.

Pimiskern says the largest reported hail was around five centimetres in size, larger than a golf ball.

The storm brought between 10 and 15 millimetres of rain.

Footage from the City of Calgary’s traffic cameras show several vehicles stopped underneath overpasses throughout the city, causing delays and safety hazards.

Calgary Police Sgt. Chris Martin advised drivers in a post to social media not to stop under bridges and overpasses.

“You endanger not only every single person trapped behind you, but yourself as well,” he said.

In 2020, a major thunderstorm in Calgary caused $1.2 billion in damages.

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