Heavy winds wreak havoc across southern Alberta

Heavy winds in southern Alberta destroyed this 100-year-old barn Saturday night, which was an Alberta Heritage site. (Photo courtesy Randy Umscheid)

Heavy winds and hail tore through parts of southern Alberta Saturday night, leaving a trail of destruction.

Campers at the Daisy May Campground in Fort Macleod sent in photos of tree branches that were torn off when the storm struck, some time between 6 and 7 p.m.

Randy Umscheid, whose brother owns a farm near Milo, Alta., described a devastating scene, where high winds “destroyed 100-year-old barns, tore siding off buildings and destroyed steel granaries."

Umscheid said his brother's barn was built in 1916, and about 15 years ago, restored it with a grant after the province declared it a historical site.

"There's nothing left of it," Umscheid said Sunday."The wind sheared the roof trusses right off."

He said other members of the community had suffered extensive damage to their properties as well, including a second century-old barn.

One e-mailer whose daughter was camping at the Daisy May campground in Fort Macleod described the storm as a “small tornado”, but according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), there were no official twisters in the region Saturday.

At 10 p.m., an ECCC weather summary said, “On the afternoon and evening of August 3, 2024 an area of thunderstorms developed over southern Alberta and quickly moved to the east. Some of the thunderstorms produced significant winds and up to golf ball-size hail."

"ECCC has received reports of wind damage in or near Milo, Queenstown, McGregor Lake Provincial Park and Fort Macleod.”

The summary reported wind gusts of 93 km/h in Fort Macleod just before 7 p.m. and as high as 107 km/h in Mossleigh at 6:31 p.m.

Golf ball-size hail was reported in Diamond Valley at 5:45 while Toonie size hail fell in High River at 6:24 p.m. Queenstown reported ping pong-sized hail at 6:48 p.m.