Hail, heavy rain pound southern Alberta, damaging crops

Hail, heavy rain pound southern Alberta, damaging crops

Prior to storm, report indicated excellent soil rating, better crop condition compared to average

Severe weather leaves path of destruction in southern Alberta

Rain, wind and hail — some stones approaching the size of billiard balls — pounded areas of southern Alberta over the weekend, hitting crops that were coming in strong after a wet spring and start to the summer.

"It was going beautifully — timely rain and the crops were looking fantastic … phenomenal," said Leroy Newman, who farms near Blackie, Alta., while surveying his crops on Monday.

One day earlier, he says he relayed a story about the nature of farming — that you can go from a potential bin-buster to a wipeout in two hours.

"Two hours later, it happened. I kind of jinxed myself."

Newman's family has grown wheat, canola and barley for more than a century.

He now estimates 85 to 90 per cent of his 1,800-hectare operation received a high degree of damage in storms that pelted his area and wide regions of southern Alberta with hail, damaging wind and up to 50 millimetres of rain.

The Alberta Financial Services Corporation, which offers crop insurance, said the extent and scope of the damage from the Lethbridge area far into central Alberta may not be fully known for 14 days — the deadline for producers to report damage.

Calgary-based storm chaser Matt Melnyk described the scene as "pretty wild" as he headed to Hanna, east of Red Deer, to photograph huge, ominous clouds that blanketed hail on the landscape.

"It was everywhere," he told CBC News the next day. "I use a golf ball and I used the pool ball to compare. It wasn't quite as big as a pool ball, but it was almost there."

The size, he said, showed the buildup of hailstones trapped in powerful storm cells, growing and growing until they were released, said Melnyk.

Another system caused flooding when it arrived in Swift Current, in southern Saskatchewan about 155 kilometres east of the Alberta border.

'Very, very active' start to summer storm season

"We had a very, very active set up for summer severe weather on the weekend," said Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Along with widespread reports of hail as far north as Cold Lake, funnel clouds were reported near Stettler, Innisfail, Lake Newell (near Brooks) and Redcliff (near Medicine Hat), said Proctor.

He describes intense hail clouds, carried for long distances eastwardly across the Prairies by the jet stream, depositing stones along the length of the route.

One of Sunday's storms travelled from Calgary all the way to Moose Jaw 600 kilometres away.

June rain soaks southern Alberta crops and pasture

Damaging thunderstorm blows through central Alberta

This isn't exactly unusual for this time of year, he said, noting similar storms begin appearing in early July and typically become more common later in the month and into early August.

Last year, similar storms damaged a 200-kilometre swath of cropland eastward from Calgary, eventually reaching Saskatoon.

"Anytime we see these kind of hail swaths this time of year, the hail can be quite large and be devastating to crops," said Proctor.

Strong growing conditions to start season: crop report

Almost all regions of southern Alberta received an above average amount of rainfall in June, leading the latest provincial crop report to show excellent soil rating for the growing season.

All major crops in south and central regions were rated in better condition as of June 30 compared to long-term averages, though delayed in some areas and needing heat to catch up.

In Blackie, Newman is surveying his fields, hoping they recover and awaiting an insurance determination, but also happy his buildings and home were not damaged.

"You can beat yourself up, but it's just what Mother Nature throws at you," he said.

"You try to mitigate the risks you can and be glad you have hail insurance."

Collin Gallant is a journalist with the CBC's bureau in Medicine Hat, Alta., covering a wide array of topics in southeast Alberta. Reach him by email at collin.gallant@cbc.ca