Summer storm floods streets, knocks out power in Saskatoon

Storm floods streets, kills power across Saskatoon A severe thunderstorm brought heavy rain, hail, thunder, lightning and gusting winds Monday. Jen Jellicoe surveys the damage.

More than 5,300 lightning strikes hit Saskatoon and area Monday night, Environment Canada says.

A severe thunderstorm brought heavy rain, hail, thunder, lightning and gusting winds. Just under 50 millimetres of rain was reported in Saskatoon’s south end, while 10 millimetres fell in the north, according to Environment Canada.

The weather agency says the storm lasted more than an hour — an unusually long time for a summer storm.

About a dozen streets and intersections flooded, according to the city. Thousands of homes lost power, traffic signals were affected and eight trees went down. Twenty manhole covers also popped out, and one had to be replaced, the city said.

Most flooded streets were cleared and power returned to a majority of the homes that lost power by about 10 p.m.