Oh, Alberta. If only snow in the summer was abnormal. On Saturday, July 11, Innisfail was subjected to an intense hailstorm. In the wake of the Innisfail storm, the town was left blanketed in layers of hail. It seriously looked like Christmas in July. CBC News reported that weather warnings were issued to multiple towns in Central Alberta. Intense thunderstorm warnings were given to Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Olds, Sundre, and Drumheller. Environment Canada had said that the towns should brace for severe winds and heavy rain and hail that could potentially be dangerous. The weather agency has also said that weak tornadoes could form in the region. They generally look like "funnel clouds" that have pools of debris flying close to the ground. Well, the hailstorm came and went, and some towns were left looking much different than others. Residents of Innisfail took to social media to share what essentially looked like scenes from a snow dump. Only it's hail and it's the middle of July. CBC News reported that the conditions in Innisfail were way worse than the other towns that got weather warnings on the same day. Christmas in July? It certainly looked like it could be as copious amounts of hail rained down on parts of southern Alberta on Sunday. #ABstorm #ABwx pic.twitter.com/P35sMo45F0— The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) July 13, 2020 On the plus side, if the residents felt like they were missing Christmas in the middle of summer, all they had to do was look outside. One person on Twitter said, "A bit of a disturbance in Innisfail today!" They also shared a video that showed the streets covered in a thick layer of hail. A bit of a disturbance in Innisfail today! #abstorm @Realbryanrolph pic.twitter.com/yGNrfYjZl6— Jenny Rolph (@jennyi44) July 12, 2020 Just leaving my lake house and driving through innisfail after hail storm. Crazy pic.twitter.com/fkArX1Lfwd— Melanie Eresman (@MelanieEresman) July 12, 2020 Another Albertan said, "Just leaving my lake house and driving through innisfail after hail storm. Crazy." One person said what we were all thinking, "Merry Christmas from Innisfail this afternoon as the QE2 is at a complete standstill at 1:15PM." Though Innisfail residents did have to deal with a buttload of hail on Saturday and Sunday, at least they were spared of a tornado. CTV News reported that a weak tornado was spotted out near Nanton, Alberta. In early-July, four tornadoes ripped through the province in under three hours. As for Innisfail, no damage is being reported as of Monday morning. In mid-June, Calgary was bombarded with a pelting of hail that was described as "baseball" sized. That was crazy. #innisfail #ABstorm pic.twitter.com/LjEGy1Vjpt— Jason (@bluejase) July 12, 2020 The hailstorm over at Calgary was reported to have destroyed property and vehicles, in addition to the damage done by the flooding itself. On Monday morning at Innisfail, the weather is reported to be holding up much better. A local golf club tweeted photos of their course; the hail is apparently all gone and some "fresh air" has come in instead.
