Some areas of Alberta could be under the threat of thunderstorms with large hail and heavy rain on Friday afternoon.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), thunderstorm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Centre show large swaths of Alberta under the gun to potentially see some strong thunderstorm activity today, June 26.

There are two moderate weather risk areas for the province, with the largest situated along the central Foothills and bleeding into Red Deer and areas just north of Calgary and the Grande Prairie region. Weather risks in those areas include wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres an hour, with thunderstorms that could bring hail up to four centimetres in size, the equivalent of a golf ball. Rainfall totals of 50 millimetres are also at play.

The second, smaller moderate weather risk area is huddled in the southeastern portion of the province, with Medicine Hat at risk of seeing wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres an hour, with thunderstorms that could bring hail up to three centimetres in size. Rainfall totals of 50 millimetres are also on the table.

Other parts of the province, including Edmonton, Calgary, Lloydminster, Peace River, and High Level, may see a thunderstorm pop up that could produce wind gusts of up to 70 kilometres an hour, hail up to two centimetres in size, and rainfall totals of up to 50 millimetres.

As of writing, special weather statements are in place for large sections of central Alberta, ahead of what is shaping up to be a pretty wet weekend for some.

Heavy rain is forecast overnight tonight through Sunday with widespread totals of 40 to 70 mm possible. Rainfall warnings will be issued for some areas of central Alberta later today.

“With the ground already saturated from the storm this past weekend and with rainfall totals for the month of June well above normal, additional rain will increase the risk of overland flooding, washouts, and potential impacts to infrastructure,” ECCC noted heading into the weather event anticipated this weekend.

You can check for any current watches and warnings on the ECCC website.

Originally published on Daily Hive. 

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Laine Mitchell, Daily Hive

Alberta Editor, Daily Hive – Laine Mitchell grew up in a small town west of the capital region, where he also landed his first job as a reporter at a radio station. After that, he moved on to CTV News Edmonton in 2018, before joining ZoomerMedia in 2021. In his downtime he can be found running, grabbing coffee with friends, jetting off to enjoy the mountains, or listening to Taylor Swift. Laine also enjoys spending hours discussing pop culture, current events, and everything in between.

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