Canada's Weather Is Absolutely Wild & So Much Hail Fell In Saskatchewan That It Looks Like Snow

There was so much hail that cars slid off roads and into ditches. 🌨️

Firefighters at a car in a ditch after a hail storm near Regina on June 9. Right: Hail on the ground that looks like snow.

Firefighters at a car in a ditch after a hail storm near Regina on June 9. Right: Hail on the ground that looks like snow.

Senior Writer

Spring looked more like winter when Canada's weather caused a hail storm in Saskatchewan so strong that you'd be forgiven if you thought snow was on the ground.

On Thursday, June 9, severe thunderstorms moved across central and southern Saskatchewan which led to warnings for strong winds and large hail, The Weather Network reported.

It turns out that those warnings were accurate because in Grand Coulee, which is located just west of Regina, so much hail came down that it made the roads and other surfaces look like they were covered in snow.

People posted photos of reduced visibility during the hail storm and of the aftermath with highways and fields buried in hail.

Regina Fire tweeted that crews were called at 3:55 p.m. local time on Thursday because multiple vehicles were in the ditch near Grand Coulee.

"Minor injuries reported by firefighters," the fire department said.

Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan, a unit of the Regina Police, also tweeted about the storm and shared photos of crews helping motorists who had gone into ditches off the highway.

"Cars were hitting the ditch today. Slow down in bad weather folks! Even in the summer. Excess speed and/or bald tires can lead to hydroplaning which can lead to skidding which can lead to this," the police unit said.

It was also reported that there were no serious injuries related to the storm.

According to The Weather Network, stronger atmospheric dynamics supported the development of the severe storms that rolled through the province.

Plus, "a strong rising motion in the atmosphere" gave the thunderstorms the ability to suspend hailstones for a longer time.

By around 8:00 p.m. local time, all of the thunderstorm watches and warnings issued for the area had been dropped.

It seems like summer will be less winter-like in Saskatchewan as Canada's summer forecast is calling for a "sizzling" season, especially in central and western parts of Canada!

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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