ATHABASCA — Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of northern, central, and southern Alberta, including the areas of Athabasca, Barrhead, and Westlock.
Issued at 10:30 a.m. June 11, the thunderstorm watch spans west from Athabasca to Fox Creek, down to the northwest corner of Calgary and south of Drumheller.
According to the Environment Canada website, afternoon and evening conditions in the area are favourable for the formation of extreme weather, such as damaging wind gusts, large hail, and tornados.
Twelve communities are named in the watch, including Boyle, Island Lake, Grassland, and Rochester areas in Athabasca County. Lac la Nonne, Neerlandia Bloomsbury, and Thunder Lake areas in Barrhead are covered in the watch, as are the Westlock communities of Clyde, Fawcett, and Jarvie.
Thunderstorm watches are issued when wind gusts reach or exceed 90 kilometres an hour, hail sizes reach more than two centimetres, and above-average rainfall is expected or occurring.
Residents are advised high wind speeds can cause structural damage to weak buildings, toss loose objects, break limbs from trees and overturn large vehicles, and large hail can cause property damage and injury.
If lightning and thunder are active, Environment Canada advises staying indoors. Keep up to date on watches and alerts on Environment Canada’s webpage. Severe weather reports can be sent to [email protected], or by tweeting with #ABStorm.
