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

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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | U.S. actor Anne Heche to be taken off life support, 9 days after car crash
American actor Anne Heche will be taken of life support on Sunday, nine days after suffering severe injuries in a fiery car crash, as a compatible person was found to receive her donated organs, a spokesperson said.

Weapon in deadly 'Rust' film set shooting could not be fired without pulling the trigger, FBI forensic testing finds
FBI testing of the gun used in the fatal shooting on the movie set of 'Rust' found that the weapon handled by actor Alec Baldwin could not be fired without pulling the trigger while the gun was cocked, according to a newly released forensics report.
Republicans demand to see affidavit that justified FBI search of Trump's home
Republicans stepped up calls on Sunday for the release of an FBI affidavit showing the underlying justification for its seizure of documents at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
Warming climate could see a future California flood become the world's costliest disaster, study suggests
A new study is offering a dire prediction for the U.S. state of California, where scientists say catastrophic flooding could become twice as likely in the future due to the effects of climate change.
Antarctica ice melt is accelerating, and research says an overlooked coastal current is to blame
A new study suggests that Antarctica’s ice shelves may be melting faster than previously believed, which is causing sea levels to rise at a more rapid pace and accelerating the dangers of climate change.
Fire at Cairo Coptic church kills 41, including 15 children
A fire ripped through a packed Coptic Orthodox church during morning services in Egypt's capital on Sunday, quickly filling it with thick black smoke and killing 41 worshippers, including at least 15 children.
Norway puts down Freya the walrus that drew Oslo crowds
Authorities in Norway said Sunday they have euthanized a walrus that had drawn crowds of spectators in the Oslo Fjord after concluding that it posed a risk to humans.
About 4,000 beagles destined for drug experiments finding new homes
About 4,000 beagles are looking for homes after animal rescue organizations started removing them from a Virginia facility that bred them to be sold to laboratories for drug experiments.
Arizona parents arrested trying to get in locked-down school
Police arrested three Arizona parents, shocking two of them with stun guns, as they tried to force their way into a school that police locked down Friday after an armed man was seen trying to get on campus, authorities said.