An alert was issued for Cypress County on Monday afternoon after strong winds hit this part of southeastern Alberta.
According to the Alberta Emergency Alert, “dangerous and harmful winds” occurred in the area of Highway 523 and Highway 1 at approximately 1:50 p.m., causing damage to homes and vehicles in the area.
Residents were asked to pay attention to the funnel clouds and take the necessary precautions.
“Be prepared to seek refuge off the road if you’re on the highway and you can’t avoid the storm. Seek shelter in a ditch or ravine if a tornado approaches,” Alberta Emergency Alert wrote.
“Seek refuge in a basement or reinforced structure.”
There is a severe storm warning in the area. Environment Canada said its meteorologists were following a dangerous storm capable of producing very strong wind gusts, up to a hailstone the size of a golf ball and heavy rain.
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Shortly before 2 p.m., the weather agency said the strong storm was located northeast of Medicine Hat and was moving northeast at 50 mph.
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An Environment Canada spokesman said there is not enough information to confirm that it is a tornado at the moment.
About 7,338 people in Medicine Hat have no electricity, according to a tweet from the City of Medicine Hat at 1:49 p.m.
Update: 13:49 7,338 customers are now without electricity and infrastructure is damaged in several places. ⚡️ If you find a power line down, stay at least 10 meters away and call 403-529-8260 immediately. #medhat #poweroutage #summerstorm pic.twitter.com/FDd98gs0oU
– City of Medicine Hat (@medicinehatcity) July 18, 2022
An EMS spokesman told Global News that 10 homes are believed to have been affected and all are currently counted. At 2.18pm, there are no active patients and no one has been taken to hospital.
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Additional units were on their way to do tricks at the gates and check on residents in the area, the EMS spokesman said.
“This is breaking news.” More to come…
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