A REAL PINE IN THE ...
Rain and winds gusting up to 90 km/h downed trees, snapped power lines and diverted aircraft Wednesday. This damaged car was spotted on 84 Avenue and 106 Street.
Planes landing at Edmonton International Airport were diverted, thousands of people lost power and trees were uprooted across the city as a windstorm hit the region Wednesday.
Winds gusted up to 90 km/h in Edmonton as a low-pressure system left British Columbia and moved across Alberta and Saskatchewan, said Environment Canada meteorologist Gregg Walters, who predicted clearer weather for Thursday.
As much as 30 millimetres of rain fell, Environment Canada said.
Epcor said as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, 18,000 customers in Edmonton had experienced outages and so many calls came in about downed trees and power lines that the phone system shut down.
Officials said there was some flooding in parts of the River Valley Trails, Mill Creek was in poor condition and the Edmonton Valley Zoo was closed for the day.
Edmonton Fire Rescue spokeswoman Maya Filipovic said firefighters were called to downed lines as the wind picked up, with more calls coming in late into the evening.
“In those instances, the wind has either blown down a line or blown a tree into the line. So crews are out working with (police) and Epcor on those situations,” she said.
Environment Canada ended its wind warning in Edmonton at 8:30 p.m., but not before a tree that stood for more than a century outside the historic Ash Residence at 6256 Ada Blvd. in Highlands was brought down by the wind.
“I was surprised, because it is such a big tree. I didn’t think the wind would bring it down. It’s lucky that it didn’t fall on the house,” said Sam Attia.
Attia said he has photos of the tree in front of the historic home when it was first built in 1912, and suspects the tree could have been older than that.
“It’s not a tree no more,” said his son, Denton Attia.
At 3:30 p.m., Edmonton International Airport spokesman Christopher Chodan said Nav Canada placed aircraft coming into the city into a holding pattern. Flights into Calgary and Edmonton were diverted to other airports for almost two hours until the wind died down shortly after 5 p.m., allowing planes to once again land and take off.
Power outages in various parts of Leduc and Strathcona County affected traffic signals, while Strathcona RCMP warned motorists to take extra care.
The wind forced several construction sites in downtown Calgary to shut down to keep debris from flying around and crews safe. Snow and sleet also fell in Calgary and parts of the south.
In Saskatoon, wind speeds were recorded at 105 km/h Wednesday afternoon. Two semis were reported to have tipped over on highways as a result of the winds. Power outages were reported across Saskatchewan.
I was surprised, because it is such a big tree. I didn’t think the wind would bring it down. It’s lucky that it didn’t fall on the house.