Alberta Storm Chasing

Though the dewpoints have struggled to get above zero all week there still were some isolated thundershowers that managed to get enough energy to drop some moisture. Most of the action (as usual) has been in Nordegg, Rocky Mountain House and Drayton Valley. Some other larger storms have been firing up even further north near Grande Prairie and Whitecourt, but for the south its been pretty much warm and dry.

These shots are from the storm that managed to develop west of the city as it travelled from the mountains over the foothills. At about 6:00 pm we were at the local Wal-Mart and saw the storm approaching from the west and we're even treated to a couple of CG strikes. As we headed west on 32nd Ave NE, the wind picked up around the Deerfoot Trail over pass. With all the dry conditions the sand and dust was blowing everywhere lowering the visability quite a bit. By the time we got home the storm was just about overhead and we could hear some thunder in the distance. At about 6:30 pm it started to rain, but wasn't coming down to hard. Soon afterward it really started to pour and water was flowing down the curbs at a good rate. I have now way off knowing how much rain we got but I estimate a good 10-15 mm.

This storm only topped out at about 20,000 ft. while the storms in the north have been more in the low 30,000ft range. We're all still waiting for the season to start and to see our first Watches & Warnings of the year to go up. Looks like the rest of the week we'll see TD's struggling to get above zero and the chances of thunderstorms aren't looking good.