2020 has already been a challenging year, and we’re only just now approaching July. While there are plenty of reasons to be down about the year, many areas of Alberta that have endured three years of drought had finally been gifted good moisture, plenty of timely rain, and good heat.
Unfortunately, another part of farming on the Prairies is knowing that when you get that heat, there’s often some significant storms that follow. Calgary was hit with a devastating storm a couple of weeks ago, and on June 27th, southern Alberta was slammed again, this time with crop-shedding hail. Naturally, people took to Twitter to show some of what was going on.
12:43pm west of #Brooks now has 54mm over 2 inches of rain today and it’s still coming down #abstorm pic.twitter.com/Be8GgNAl6u
— Brandon Houck (@HouckisPokise) June 28, 2020
Golf ball sized hail at the town of Stavely. Storm is moving east. #ABStorm pic.twitter.com/VG8Lfwta10
— Stephanie Bodnarchuk (@DrBodnarchuk) June 27, 2020
Heavy hail west of Stavely at 1:15p #abstorm pic.twitter.com/UFeNO1n7kb
— Stephanie Bodnarchuk (@DrBodnarchuk) June 27, 2020
I may need a boat soon #Brooks #abstorm pic.twitter.com/XE47FTtAl8
— Brandon Houck (@HouckisPokise) June 28, 2020
We have hail drifts on 4 where the rain pushed it off the fairway! #ABStorm Little bit of cleanup this morning. pic.twitter.com/fBO0TuXtAP
— Dustin Zdan (@ConnaughtSuper) June 28, 2020
Hail hit about 2/3 of our fields. Canola will come back some. Wheat that was headed won’t. #abstorm pic.twitter.com/gPAsaKC26P
— Will Van Roessel (@SpecialtySeeds) June 28, 2020
Hail Storm # 3 for Carmangay! #abstorm pic.twitter.com/NlWR4iLUAI
— Alysia Cherise Kraeker -MagicPhotography.ca (@KraekerDesign) June 28, 2020
Received 2” of rain in 10 mins. Zero visibility and lots of hail. I’m parked in an approach facing the road. #abstorm pic.twitter.com/BaCDUQsKaE
— Adam Unruh (@UnruhAdam) June 28, 2020
Nickel to quarter-sized hail 6KM East of Raymond #abstorm 645PM pic.twitter.com/fpmdXy3Tpx
— Kyle Brittain (@KyleTWN) June 28, 2020
Holy HAIL! #MedHat #abstorm @weathernetwork pic.twitter.com/aRE1J4FbqW
— Erin Stickney (@e_stickney) June 28, 2020
Hail insurance is not uncommon in these areas — and growing up at Bow Island, Alta., it’s so common that it took me until I was in my late teens to even realize that it wasn’t a common thing across Canada. The “big white combine” as it is known by too many in the southern parts of the Prairies, can take a field out at 100 per cent damage within minutes. As farmers, heading out to see what the damage looks like around the area after one of these storms rips is all too common, and always a tough tour to do. Here’s what some of the damage looks like in the area.