'Absolute carnage': Thunderstorm damages buildings, topples trees outside Calgary
A severe thunderstorm lasted about 10 minutes, but Nathan Canning says that was enough time to blow the entire roof off his Quonset barn and cause thousands of dollars' worth of damage to his Langdon property.
"We got a warning on our phone saying there was a possible tornado and came to look outside and that's when it started hailing really bad and really fast," Canning told CTV News while surveying the damage from Tuesday night's storm.
"It was intense. I mean it was hitting the walls and windows and my house was shaking pretty good that it almost went up."
A damaged building on Nathan Canning's property near Langdon, Alta. as a result of Tuesday evening's storm.
The storm, which tracked northeastward between Langdon and Chestermere, is suspected to have produced a tornado along with heavy wind and rainfall.
According to people who live nearby, the hail that fell was the size of large ping-pong balls. The severe weather tore several large holes into Canning's garage and caused several trees to topple including one that fell directly onto his car parked in front of his family's home.
"The shed, the playhouses, the whole yard is absolute carnage," he added.
Tuesday evening's storm downed large branches on a property near Langdon, Alta., east of Calgary.
Dave Nickerson, who lives just five kilometres away, was on site Wednesday morning to help the Canning family remove trees and clean up their yard.
"It was pretty dark and pretty windy and wild," Nickerson said.
"I didn't expect it to get this crazy like it did here because it took two buildings down and knocked-cans over, so that's a storm for sure."
Damage to the siding on Nathan Canning's home near Langdon, Alta. following Tuesday's storm.
A tornado watch issued for Rocky View County near Chestermere was only active for a short time, but it spoke to the potential for damage to people and property. Environment and Climate Change Canada warned property owners to take proper safety precautions during severe weather events.
"Go indoors to a room on the lowest floor, away from outside walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, stairwell, or interior closet," said Tuesday evening's tornado watch alert.
"Leave mobile homes, vehicles, tents, trailers and other temporary or free-standing shelter, and move to a strong building if you can. As a last resort, lie in a low spot and protect your head from flying debris."
As of Wednesday, there has been no official confirmation of a tornado touching down in the region during Tuesday's storm.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Feds 'not interested' in investing in LNG facilities: energy minister
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government is 'not interested' in subsidizing future liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, including the electrification of projects currently in the works.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Aerial photos show wide devastation left by tornado in China's Guangzhou
Aerial photos posted by Chinese state media on Sunday showed the wide devastation of a part of the southern city of Guangzhou after a tornado swept through the day before, killing five people, injuring dozens others and damaging over a hundred buildings.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
A top Qatari official urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a ceasefire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged both Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds on both sides to move toward a deal that would set Israeli hostages free and bring potential respite in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
What Trudeau's podcast appearances say about the Liberals' next ballot box question
Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking up the Liberals' latest budget, which he's pitching as a plan to inject more economic fairness into society for those under 40 — a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015 but is increasingly turning to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Russian drones set a hotel ablaze in a Ukrainian Black Sea city
Russian drones early Sunday struck the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, setting a hotel ablaze and damaging energy infrastructure, the local Ukrainian governor reported, while ammunition shortages continued to hobble Kyiv's troops in the more than two-year-old war.
A munitions explosion at a Cambodian army base kills 20 soldiers, but its cause is unclear
Security was tight around a military base in southwestern Cambodia on Sunday, a day after a huge explosion there killed 20 soldiers, wounded others and damaged nearby houses.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.