Calgary's July hailstorm makes list of Canada's top weather events of 2021

A massive system of thunderstorms pushed through Calgary Friday evening, resulting in damage and lots of flash flooding.

A summer hailstorm in Calgary that caused flash flooding, broke tree branches and battered homes has been named on Environment Canada's list of the Top 10 Weather Stories of 2021.   

Senior climatologist Dave Phillips has been compiling the list for more than two decades.

His picks for the most descriptive and expensive weather events of the year include, in eighth spot, a hailstorm that hit Calgary on the evening of Friday, July 2.

The Calgary Fire Department said it received almost 200 calls between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. that night.

"At approximately 7 p.m., fire crews were busy at over 70 different incidents around the city, all at the same time," the CFD said in a July 2 news release. "This meant almost every single fire truck and crew available were out on an emergency call."

Fire crews responded to a wide variety of emergencies, which included:

• Two calls for reports of lightening strikes to houses, one of which resulted in an attic fire;
• A portion of a strip mall in the northeast collapsed, damaging a gas line;
• Flooded streets and intersections in low lying areas;
• Motorists stranded in high water with their vehicles;
• Manhole covers blown off;
• Buildings where the fire alarm had been activated; and
• Trees and branches blown down and onto power lines creating electrical hazards.

The hailstorm caused flash flooding and hazardous driving conditions on several roads, prompting the closure of Blackfoot Trail and Alyth Road S.E.

A month later, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) released its report on the July 2 storm, saying it caused $247 million in insured damage.

The July 2021 hailstorm is nothing compared to one in Calgary in June 2020 that caused roughly $1.2 billion in damage, making it the costliest in Canada's history, according to the IBC.

To see the other weather events that made Phillips' list, visit Environment and Climate Change Canada's website.