“We received a warning on our phone saying there was a possible tornado and we came to look outside and then it started beating very badly and very fast,” Canning told CTV News as he investigated the damage from Tuesday night’s storm.
“It was intense. I mean it was hitting the walls and the windows and my house was shaking quite well that it almost went up.”
A damaged building owned by Nathan Canning near Landon, Alta. as a result of Tuesday afternoon storm.
The storm, which occurred northeast between Langdon and Chestermir, is suspected to have caused a tornado with strong winds and rain.
According to people living nearby, the hail that fell was the size of large ping-pong balls. Bad weather tore many large holes in Canning’s garage and caused many trees to fall, including one that fell directly into his car parked in front of his family home.
“The shed, the playgrounds, the whole yard is an absolute massacre,” he added.
Tuesday afternoon thunderstorms knocked down large branches of a property near Langdon, Alta, east of Calgary.
Dave Nickerson, who lives just five miles away, was at the scene Wednesday morning to help the Canning family clear the trees and clear their backyard.
“It was quite dark and very windy and wild,” Nickerson said.
“I did not expect it to go as crazy as it did here because it destroyed two buildings and tore down cans, so it is definitely a storm.”
Damage to the bypass at Nathan Canning’s home near Langdon, Alta. after Tuesday’s storm.
A tornado clock issued for Rocky View County near Chestermere was only active for a short time, but spoke of the potential for damage to people and property. The Environment and Climate Change Agency of Canada has warned property owners to take appropriate safety precautions during severe weather.
“Go indoors to a room on the lower floor, away from exterior walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, staircase or indoor closet,” a tornado monitoring alert said Tuesday night.
“Leave caravans, vehicles, tents, trailers and other temporary or autonomous shelter and move to a strong building if you can. As a last resort, lie down and protect your head from flying debris.”
As of Wednesday, there has been no official confirmation of a tornado that fell in the area during Tuesday’s storm.
