Severe storm risk looms over Prairies, destructive hail threatens Alberta
A surge of heat and rising instability has raised the risk of severe thunderstorms and damaging hail on the Prairies
Alberta continues to swelter in rising temperatures as the Canada Day long weekend comes to an end, with heat warnings in effect and isolated thunderstorms building across the province. Thunderstorm energy is also on the rise across Western Canada, fuelling a widespread Canada Day storm risk beyond Alberta as well.
While many thunderstorms are expected to be mild, some may become severe, bringing strong winds and dangerously large hail.
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The storm threat will also persist into Wednesday as the heat and instability continue to grow.
Be sure to keep an eye on your local forecast and weather alerts before heading out this week.
Tuesday: Storm risk extends from the foothills to Edmonton
Storms begin to form in the Alberta foothills Tuesday afternoon and move northeast toward Whitecourt and Edmonton by late afternoon and evening hours.
Storms will also begin to develop in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba late Tuesday afternoon, specifically around Brandon and Winnipeg.
The biggest threats are gusty winds and large hail. However, confidence in storm coverage near Calgary remains low.
The storm risk will also stretch across Saskatchewan and into southern Manitoba, where we could see some isolated storms become severe along the southern border between Regina and Winnipeg.
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Wednesday: Extreme heat and severe hail threat
Temperatures are expected to peak mid-week, with southern Alberta reaching 5-10°C above seasonal averages on Wednesday.
This next round of heat will combine with even greater instability, renewing the threat of more widespread and potentially severe thunderstorms, including the possibility of very large hail.
Parts of central Alberta, including around Grand Prairie, Hinton, and Whitecourt are seeing the best setup for damaging hail on Wednesday with the storms.
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We also have more confidence that Calgary will see some stormy weather roll through in the late afternoon and evening with this round.
The severe risk and all of its associated hazards will also be present in western Saskatchewan, pushing into Saskatoon.
By the end of the week we'll finally start to see a break in the blistering heat, which will hopefully stabilize the atmosphere for a bit. Temperatures on Friday will feel significantly cooler than Wednesday.
Stay with The Weather Network for more information and updates on your weather across the Prairies.