March 29th, 2024

Windstorm wreaks havoc


By Lethbridge Herald on January 13, 2021.

City crews work at the scene where a snapped treetop came down on a power line on the city's southside. Herald photo by Ian Martens @IMartensHerald

Dale Woodard
Lethbridge Herald
A morning windstorm blowing through southern Alberta caused power outages and damage throughout the area.
Extreme wind gusts knocked out power to large sections of the northside and southside of Lethbridge, downing tree limbs and blacking out traffic lights on several major roadways in the city.
An Environment Canada alert indicated winds reached a reported 137 km per hour in Barnwell.
Due to uncertainty over the loss of power, the Lethbridge School Division sent students home Wednesday morning from all schools except those on the city’s westside.
City of Lethbridge electric crews worked to restore power and had most customers back up shortly before noon.
Fortis Alberta was also showing multiple power outages in communities from Crowsnest Pass to Milk River.
There was a total of 565 service request calls to 311 for power outages as of 11:50 a.m. Wednesday in addition to 20 calls for trees down and major tree breaks, seven for waste and recycling related wind calls, two for traffic signals and four for street lights.
A wind warning remained in effect for the Lethbridge-Taber-Milk River area with winds expected to diminish Wednesday evening.
For tips on how to manage in a power outage, visit lethbridge.ca/poweroutage.

-with files from Ian Martens

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