Many residents of Calgary were pounded by rain and hail on Tuesday afternoon and it could be the same story on Wednesday.
Starting mid-afternoon, rain and hail fell in sheets in Calgary and south of the city. The hardest hit communities were in Braeside, Palliser/Pump Hill, Cedarbrae, Canyon Meadows, Oakridge, Woodlands and Woodbine.
In those areas, firefighters were called to respond to more than 60 storm-related calls in a two-hour period, including two house fires caused by lightning.
Crews were called to a home on Stranraer Place S.W., in Strathcona, shortly before 4:00 p.m. after a gas line was damaged. ATCO responded to the scene to repair the line.
A separate fire was reported on Beny-Sur-Mer Road S.W. in Currie Barracks. Firefighter encountered flames venting through the roof and quickly extinguished the blaze.
In addition to the two house fires, the CFD responded to several reports of homes and trees being struck by lightning.
A number of intersections were also completely flooded in those communities, stranding several drivers.
Residents did say that help was available wherever needed.
“I was commuting home from work and all of a sudden I see traffic build up,” said Gregory Wiebe, who lives in Cedarbrae. “These guys think they could push [their stalled vehicle] so instead of causing a log jam in the water, [we] stop traffic altogether and then redirect them either way so that they didn’t go into the ‘lake’.”
As for rain on Wednesday, CTV Weather Specialist Kevin Stanfield says the city will see some trace rain shortly after noon that will get heavier by 3:00 p.m.
For a full forecast, visit our weather page.
