Calgary saw one of the most severe summer storms in years on the evening of August 5, after a supercell weather pattern moved from the mountains across Cochrane and into Calgary.
In the wake of the storm, Calgary was battered by golf ball and chicken-egg-sized hail that damaged vehicles and houses across northwest Calgary.
According to Environment Canada (ECCC), hail 5.1 centimetres in diameter was observed in Calgary and Cochrane, with the largest observed hail reported to ECCC topping 7.5 centimetres in the hamlet of Queenstown, south of the city.
The hail also battered the Calgary International Airport, which was forced to evacuate parts of the main terminal building during the evening at gates B and C as a result of damage.
“We can confirm there has been damage to YYC’s terminal building due to hail and heavy rainfall. At this time we are prioritizing the safety of all guests and staff and clearing the impacted areas. We are currently assessing the damage and its impact to operations,” said the airport authority.
Video posted to social media by visitors to the airport showed cracked windows and falling ceiling tiles as a result of the storm.
As of the afternoon of August 6, the airport said that those gates remained closed with flights being shifted to other parts of the terminal building.
By the evening, B gates remained closed, along with some C gates. The airport authority said that there is no date yet for when the B gates would be reopened, and that they would continue to work with airlines to reaccommodate flights to unaffected gates.
“We recognize this storm and the resulting damage and experience could have been troubling and even scary. This event has had a major impact on operations, and also people. Please know we are taking every action possible to ensure their safety and comfort. We thank our guests for their patience and cooperation as we work to recover from the storm.”
Across Calgary, the storm sent traffic into a standstill—with some of the most dramatic images from the storm posted by the City of Calgary showing vehicles in a dead stop under the Deerfoot Trail and Stoney NE overpass.
The decision by drivers to stop underneath overpasses was criticized by Calgary Police Service Sgt. Chris Martin, who said those decisions endangered not only the drivers themselves but every other driver on the roads during the evening.
Largest hail storm in memory for some northwest Calgary residents
In Coventry Hills and other communities in the northwest, residents spent the morning sweeping up leaves and branches from trees and shrubs and disposing of the damage done to plantings.
Donna McDonald, a homeowner in Coventry Hills, was one of the Calgarians who was cleaning up after the storm.
“We’ve had hail… but nothing like this. I’m going to pretty much fill the [green] bin just at the front. The back is destroyed.”
She described the hail as like someone was pounding on her roof and her windows with a hammer, to the point she was worried that the windows would be smashed.
While McDonald was lucky, suffering some flashing around a door to her home, others in the neighbourhood were not as lucky.
“Apparently there are some broken windows further down, but I did not lose any windows. I lucked out there, so I’m grateful for small mercies.”
She said that during the storm, the hail turned direction slamming into houses from the north and damaging the rear sides of homes along a shared alleyway.
Multiple social media users posted their experiences with flooding and fallen trees after the storm has passed.
Calgarians made 63 requests for service on Aug. 5 for catch basin/stormwater concerns.
