Environment Canada issued warnings to residents in certain areas of Alberta to secure loose items and prepare for potential damage due to strong winds causing power outages on Sunday. Wind speeds reached between 90 and 110 km/h but were expected to diminish by Sunday evening. By Monday morning, all weather warnings in the province had ceased.
According to Environment Canada, the high winds could pose risks to high-sided vehicles and lead to damages such as roof, fence, tree, and soft shelter destruction. Earlier in the day, warnings were also in effect in southwestern Saskatchewan, and special weather statements were issued for southeastern British Columbia.
Tanya Croft, a Fortis Alberta spokesperson, reported that a swift winter storm resulted in multiple power outages across Alberta, affecting 8,000 residents initially, but the number has since decreased to 2,000. The storm caused downed power lines, trees touching power lines, and infrastructure damage.
Residents were cautioned to maintain a distance of at least 10 meters from downed power lines and to steer clear of damaged electrical equipment, as advised by Croft. Additionally, power outages were reported in northwestern Alberta by Alberta power company ATCO.
In British Columbia, BC Hydro stated that around 1,900 customers in the Southern Interior experienced power outages at the peak, with the number dropping to just under 350. The majority of outages were attributed to trees and branches bringing down power lines, with efforts underway to restore power by later Sunday.
Southern Alberta was forecasted to experience damaging winds accompanied by snowfall, particularly in areas like Calgary, the foothills, Banff, Strathmore, Waterton Lakes, and Vulcan, where up to 20 centimeters of snow was expected before tapering off on Sunday night.