Today is shaping up to potentially be an active weather day for a large chunk of Alberta, including Edmonton, with a high risk of thunderstorms in the forecast. Edmonton is included in the moderate risk zone for thunderstorms that could drop up to egg-sized hailstones, 100 kilometre-an-hour winds, and 30 to 50 millimetres of rain. The ECCC said in its outlook that the “overall environment looks prime for supercells, with all severe hazards possible, including tornadoes and very large hail.
” The high-risk zone for these thunderstorms is smack dab in central Alberta, including Red Deer and nearly stretching to the Saskatchewan border. “The main caveat involved thick wildfire smoke which continues to plague the province. Should fires over the Rocky Mountains become active this afternoon, large plumes of smoke may inhibit convection until very late in the day,” the added.
Should that occur, the tornado risk may be snuffed out for the province and although long-tracked severe thunderstorms will likely continue well into the night, the main area of concern will be more of a wind threat. If you are all-in for the weather in Alberta, we chatted with an ECCC meteorologist to see how the is shaking out..
