Edmonton recovering after another powerful thunderstorm Saturday night
Anthony St Hilaire says it's fortunate people didn't walk past his apartment building during the fierce thunderstorm that hit Edmonton Saturday night.
A chunk of a wall from the complex blew off, littering the street below with bricks. Some damaged St Hilaire's vehicle, which was parked on the curb.
"I've never seen [a] storm like that before," he said, adding he captured Saturday night's storm on his phone from his balcony.
"There were people all over [the area]," he said, referring to the thousands forced to evacuate a concert at nearby Commonwealth Stadium. "Lucky nobody was underneath this."
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Environment Canada had issued a red tornado warning for parts of Yellowhead County late Saturday afternoon, and severe thunderstorm watches and warnings for much of central Alberta, including Edmonton, as a powerful system rolled through the region.
Anthony St Hilaire found bricks from an apartment building had damaged his vehicle during the thunderstorm that hit Edmonton Saturday night. (Sam Brooks/CBC)
"Around that 9 o'clock time period, we issued our first warning for the city of Edmonton," Heather Pimiskern, an Environment Canada meteorologist, told CBC News on Sunday.
Hourly weather data from the weather agency shows nearly 30 millimetres of rain fell between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. in the Blatchford area, in central Edmonton on the north side. During that time, wind speeds averaged 39 km/h, reaching a maximum speed of 84 km/h.
"When it hit the city, we saw numerous major roadways flooded, we received reports of sewer backups due to the winds, we saw reports of numerous trees that were knocked down," Pimiskern said.
A thunderstorm passed through Edmonton, resulting in flooding and fallen trees, pictured at 93 Street and 106A Avenue. (Jamie McCannel/CBC)
Brina Braun was one of the people caught outside when the storm hit. She was at Commonwealth Stadium, waiting to see Post Malone perform the second of his scheduled back-to-back shows in Edmonton, when a weather delay was announced.
Braun initially felt the delay was a bit dramatic, especially since she couldn't see much rain at the time, she said. Then, it poured and hailed.
"I have never been so soaked in my entire life, it was crazy," she said. "The hail really hurt."
The situation soon changed, too, from comical to serious, she said.
"At first, it was just fun, it was playful; we were running around in the rain getting wet," Braun said. "Then, it came a point where everyone's starting to get freaked out. There were people around us crying, people lost their friends."
Brina Braun was among the thousands of Post Malone concert-goers who were caught outside during Saturday's storm. (Jamie McCannel/CBC)
Around the stadium on Sunday morning, flag and light poles and trees were scattered on the ground. Braun said, at points during the walk to their car Saturday night, she walked through knee-high water.
Several major roads reopened Sunday, while others remain closed due to flooding.
Access to Yellowhead Trail and Groat Road have been restored, but parts of Whitemud Drive continue to be closed, according to social media posts from the City of Edmonton.
Connors Road — under the 98th Avenue bridge — and 127th Avenue saw flooding after Saturday's rain, but reopened Sunday morning, the city said.
"We ask Edmontonians to use caution while driving, or using the active transportation system, as City crews and EPCOR crews are working at various sites to clear debris, assess damage and clear water," the city said in a news release Sunday morning.
The city also reported traffic signals being affected by the stormy weather.
Around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, 19 areas were experiencing power outages, according to Epcor's website. An Epcor spokesperson said the outages were related to the storm and that power was expected to be restored by 1:30 p.m.
This article, written by Sara Sheydwasser and Nicholas Frew was originally published for CBC News. With files from Morgan Black and Sam Brooks