Edmonton received a severe thunderstorm warning Thursday night as “a very dangerous” storm complex has developed, say federal meteorologists. The province via its emergency alert system the province issued the warning at 7:30 p.m., with Environment Canada meteorologists saying extreme wind gusts up to 130 kilometres per hour have developed ahead of thunderstorms west of the city. The areas under warning include the city, Strathcona County, Leduc County, the County of Wetaskiwin, Camrose County and Beaver County near Tofield. People are asked to take cover immediately if a thunderstorm approaches. If outside, they should protect themselves from flying debris and hail. Such warnings are given when imminent thunderstorms capable of producing hail, wind or rain develop in an area. People watching the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff game in Ice District downtown were relocated from the outdoor ‘Moss Pit’ and Fan Park venues indoors to Ford Hall, which is adjacent to the team’s arena Rogers Place. In the south-side neighbourhood of Malmo, several trees were toppled by high winds in the early evening. Another day of heat Heat warnings continue for most of Alberta today as temperatures will get to the upper 20s/low 30s again this afternoon. Edmonton hit 29 C on Wednesday and should get a couple degrees hotter today. I’m going with a forecast high of 31 C. A cold front slashes across the province moving from west to east this afternoon and tonight bringing a chance of showers and thunderstorms to most of Alberta. The showers and storms will develop in west and northwestern Alberta this afternoon and we’re expecting them to move through the Edmonton region this evening. There’s a high risk of some severe thunderstorms affecting a few spots, particularly in central and north-central Alberta. Those storms will have the potential to produce damaging wind gusts, large hail and heavy downpours. We’ll know more about the location of those storms later this afternoon as they start to develop, so pay attention to any weather alerts that get issued through the day. As always, most areas will not get hit with severe storms. However, I think almost everybody will at least get some strong, gusty wind and rain. Temperatures drop back to a high of about 22-24 C on Friday. But, we’ll heat up again on Saturday and possibly see some more showers and thunderstorms Saturday night. Those storms will, once again, have the potential to turn severe in some areas. A lengthier stretch of cooler temperatures will settle in for next week with daytime highs in the 18 to 22 C range from Sunday through Thursday. Here’s the forecast for Edmonton and area: Today - Mainly sunny. Wind: S 20 gusting to 40 km/h High: 31 Tonight - 70% chance of showers and/or thunderstorms. Risk of severe storms. 9pm: 18 Friday - Clearing in the morning. Sunny for most of the day. Morning Low: 11 Afternoon High: 24 Saturday - Mix of sun & cloud. 30% chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Morning Low: 12 Afternoon High: 28 40% chance of showers/thunderstorms overnight. Sunday - 30% chance of showers in the morning, then a Mix of sun & cloud. Morning Low: 10 Afternoon High: 18 Monday - Partly cloudy. Morning Low: 8 Afternoon High: 19 Tuesday - Partly cloudy. Morning Low: 8 Afternoon High: 20
