Severe thunderstorms may be at play for parts of Alberta today, with storms that could produce very large hail in some major cities.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), thunderstorm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Centre show a severe thunderstorm risk in Alberta for Monday, Aug. 10.

There is a large high-risk zone present in the province today, which includes areas such as Calgary, Airdrie, Okotoks, Chestermere, Cochrane, Brooks, and Vulcan.

Weather risks in that area include wind gusts of up to 130 kilometres an hour, with thunderstorms that could produce hail up to five centimetres in size, the equivalent of a golf ball. Rainfall totals of up to 50 millimetres may also be at play.

Areas northwest of Edmonton, including Grande Prairie, Peace River, Whitecourt, and Edson, are under a moderate weather risk that may also see thunderstorms that could produce hail up to 2.5 centimetres in size, wind gusts up to 70 kilometres an hour, and rainfall totals up to 40 millimetres.

An additional minor weather risk zone hugs most of the province, including Edmonton, Lloydminster, Banff, Jasper, Medicine Hat, and Lethbridge. Weather risks in that area include wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres an hour, with thunderstorms that could produce hail up to two centimetres in size, about the equivalent of a penny. Rainfall totals of up to 20 millimetres may also occur.

alberta hail
Photo via ECCC Storm Prediction Centre

The risk of thunderstorms in Alberta rolls on when we hit the overnight hours, with the outlook for early Tuesday showing a minor risk for parts of the province. The strongest potential impacts will touch Lloydminster and Medicine Hat, with wind gusts up to 80 kilometres an hour, hail up to two centimetres in size, and 20 millimetres of rain.

alberta hail
Photo via ECCC Storm Prediction Centre

You can check for any current weather watches and warnings on the ECCC website, and view the full ECCC thunderstorm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Centre online. If you were curious about how the weather is shaping up for this month, we chatted with ECCC about how August may look.

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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