A storm cell moves south towards Red Deer around 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2024. A possible funnel cloud could be seen on the west side of it. (Contributed)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Storm brings lots of lightning to Red Deer area on Wednesday night

Aug 22, 2024 | 12:40 PM

The storm that rolled through Red Deer and other parts of central Alberta on Wednesday evening was a doozy for some, and not so much for others.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Alysa Pederson, a warning preparedness meteorologist, says 145 lightning strikes were recorded in close proximity to Red Deer between 9 p.m. and midnight.

Precipitation-wise, estimates for southeast of Red Deer were around 5-10 mm, while northeast of Red Deer — toward Camrose and Lloydminster — received 10-20 mm.

There were no confirmed funnel clouds, says Pederson, though some possible funnels were spotted over the Red Deer area just after 9 p.m. Pederson says it is entirely possible that there were multiple of them.

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“What we had was an upper low pressure system spinning out in Alberta, so that’s when the entire column of the atmosphere has a spin to it,” Pederson explains.

“The cumulus clouds which can grow quite rapidly can get a spin and that’s when you’ll see funnel clouds.”

While there was no watch or warning issued for this storm, it was noted on the ECCC Thunderstorms Outlook, Pederson says.

She also notes that earlier in the evening, none of the thunderstorms in the region appeared to have characteristics of something that would turn severe, such as something with hail at least the size of a nickel.

Some parts of Red Deer and the region did get pea-sized hail, with no reports of anything larger.

As for wind, the strongest was about 50 km/h just east of Red Deer.

Pederson says though peak thunderstorm season has likely passed, central Albertans should be prepared for more of them over the coming weeks and possibly into October.

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