A power pole lays across the Trans-Canada Highway. (Photo Courtesy Angela Mastel)

By Chris Brown

UPDATE: Extreme weather whips through Medicine Hat area, homes destroyed

Jul 19, 2022 | 10:05 AM

MEDICINE HAT — Update 5:30 am Tuesday, July 19, 2022. The job of picking up the pieces after the violent weather on Monday, July 18, 2022, continues this morning in Cypress County, Redcliff, and Medicine Hat.

The storm damaged trees and brought down power lines, leaving some people without power through the night.

City crews worked until midnight and have continued their restoration work this morning.

There were still about 1,900 customers without power in the county, Redcliff, and city as of last night, although power to most of Redcliff was restored.

The city is advising of a broken cable partially submerged in the South Saskatchewan River and is posing a hazard to anyone on the river for recreational purposes.

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Parks staff are currently assessing damage, with Echo Dale suffering significant damage from the high winds and remains closed to the public.

It’s anticipated clean-up of tree branches and debris will begin tomorrow after a full assessment has been completed.

Earlier story follows

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Heavy rain and strong winds came and went quickly in southeastern Alberta on Monday afternoon, leaving plenty of destruction behind.

CHAT News has learned that at least two county families have had their homes destroyed as a tornado is reported to have touched down in the area. At about 2:00 p.m., Alberta Emergency Alert reported that a tornado touched down in the area of Highway 523. The agency advised people to be on the lookout for more funnel clouds.

The storm that ripped through the area knocked out power in Redcliff. Just before 5:00 p.m, the town posted on social media that power “is not anticipated to be restored today, possibly may take a few days.”

The City of Medicine Hat is aware of multiple downed power lines and a large power outage, some of which may continue throughout the night. About 5,600 customers are without power at the latest update.

Mayor Linnsie Clark posted that the city has activated an incident command post to ensure a coordinated and efficient response.

Parks staff are assessing damage to city parks. Echo Dale Regional Park has seen significant damage, cleanup of which is anticipated to start Wednesday following assessment. Hill Pool and Strathcona Pool are closed until further notice.

Environment Canada told CHAT News that wind gusts reached 90 kilometres per hour at the height of the storm.

Power is out at the CHAT News studio on Monday evening. It’s hoped it is restored in time for the noon newscast on Tuesday. In the meantime, stay up-to-date on chatnewstoday.ca and our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

READ MORE: Tornado touches down, heavy hail in Southeastern Alberta