A northwestern Alberta village is cleaning up after a severe thunderstorm that triggered a tornado warning moved through Friday night, uprooting trees, flattening crops and tearing roofs off homes.
Farmer Clint Polukosko was out weeding his field of creeping red fescue just east of Hines Creek when he saw the storm raging through the area.
“There was a lot of thunder and lightning and the sky was really black up north,” he told Global News from the farming community about 500 kilometers northwest of Edmonton in the Peace River region.
“Then it just hit a wall of rain, hail and a lot of wind.”
A tornado warning was issued for the Fairview area Friday night. The storm hit the Hines Creek area around 9 p.m., according to Environment Canada, before moving southeast toward Fairview.
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Polukosko said the hail lasted for probably 15 minutes and was followed by about 20 more minutes of heavy rain. He said his brother was checking crops in other fields when he called with different news.
“He called me to say the roof had come off (of the local hotel bar) so I went into town to check it out,” he said.
Storm damage in Hines Creek, Alta. on Friday, July 29, 2022. Courtesy: Clint Polukosko
“There were probably 30 really big trees that were up right from the roots: some landed on cars, some landed on houses, blocking the road. I checked everything in town and there were lots of sheds blown up.
Polukosko said he saw trampolines on top of buildings, shingles missing, roofs missing from even more properties.
“One guy who works for us had his roof blown off his mobile home in town and fell on the next door neighbor’s house.
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“A lot of damage in the city.”
When he arrived at the Hines Creek Hotel bar, Fairview RCMP and firefighters from local volunteer departments were already dealing with the situation.
“The roof had blown off and landed in the park nearby behind the bar, the splash park in the city park. It stood at the top of the playground.
Polukosko estimates that the village is home to about 500 people, but even more live in the surrounding countryside – and it seems most had the same idea as him: go to town and see what happened.
“And after the storm, there were probably about 1,500 people in town.”
Hail falling in Hines Creek, Alta. on Friday, July 29, 2022. Courtesy: Clint Polukosko
Kyle Fugger, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, told Global News the weather agency has received reports from the Hines Creek area of ping-pong-sized hail, possible severe street flooding, uprooted trees and roof damage.
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The weather agency could not confirm whether a tornado touched down, saying that type of damage could be caused by wind or sustained winds, but would investigate.
Half-cat took pictures of hailstones that looked the size of ping-pong balls. He said friends have seen even larger hail the size of golf balls.
It wasn’t just the town that was affected — Polukoshko said his crops were also affected.
“We got a really significant hail storm. It probably destroyed 80 percent of our canola crops.
Polukosko estimates that 1,600 to 2,000 acres of canola and another 1,500 acres of wheat have been flattened.
“I can’t say the damage is too bad on the wheat yet, but it won’t be good,” he said, adding that he would get a better idea of the damage when the sun comes up on Saturday.
“You can tell by the canola. And where the stems are broken off, the pods are also broken off.
“The field was yellow before dinner and after dinner it’s all green and relatively flat. This is not a good sign.
“We could use the moisture – we just didn’t need the hail,” he said wistfully.
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After the storm passed and Polukoshko finished inspecting the damage in town, he immediately returned to cutting his fescue, which in Canada is grown primarily in the Peace River region.
It was a sweltering day before the storm hit: The Peace River region broke temperature records on Friday with a temperature of 34.8 C. (The old record was 34.4, set in 1934, Environment Canada said.)
ATCO Electric said the inclement weather is causing power outages in the Fairview area and surrounding areas, including Hines Creek. As of midnight, Polukoshko said power was still out in a large area.
Enviroment Canada said the significant thunderstorm continued to develop southeast throughout the evening, was still showing rotation and had the potential to cause damage. However, the tornado warning ended around midnight.
Damaging winds, large hail and locally heavy rainfall are possible from the storm, the national weather agency said in its earlier warning.
Possible Tornado Warning Updated July 29, 10:09 a.m. Take the necessary precautions. Parts of the… #ABemerg #ABtornado
— AB Emergencyalert (@AB_EmergAlert) July 30, 2022
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Alberta Premier Jason Kenney spoke to Global News on Saturday about the extreme weather and said there are funds available to help through the municipality if needed. To his knowledge, no requests have been made at this time.
“We’re way below the 10-year average in terms of flooding, in terms of wildfires and events like that,” Kenney said. “The prairies are always unpredictable in terms of weather – we know that in Alberta. And I feel bad for the people who were affected by it.
Tornado warnings are issued when impending or developing thunderstorms are likely to produce or produce tornadoes.
If you spot one, Environment Canada, you should go indoors to a room on the lowest floor, away from exterior walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, stairwell, or indoor closet.
Abandon mobile homes, vehicles, tents, trailers, and other temporary or freestanding shelters and move to a sturdy building if you can. As a last resort, lie low and protect your head from flying debris, the warning said.
Read more: Thunderstorm causes weather delays at Big Valley Jamboree
The warning came as the Great Valley Jamboree in central Alberta had to temporarily suspend events Friday night due to a severe thunderstorm.
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