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Several local areas were hit by hail Thursday afternoon, including Gronlid. (Submitted/Alice McFarlane)
Severe Weather in Northeast

Severe weather clobbers northeast

Jul 2, 2020 | 5:00 PM

The severe weather that has moved through the northeast was intense, and in some cases dangerous.

Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang told northeastNOW the Melfort area saw a significant burst of rain and wind this afternoon.

“Almost 18 mm of rain fell between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., which is a fairly decent downpour,” Lang said.

The auto weather station at Miller Field, Melfort’s airport, also indicated the peak wind gusts during that time were 70 km/h.

It wasn’t just Melfort that received severe weather.

“It looks like maybe loonie and toonie sized hail around Star City,” Lang said.

There have also been reports of hail in the Gronlid area, while Nipawin also saw significant rain and damaging wind.

The severe weather also hit the town of Nipawin (Submitted/Susan Westgard)

There have been unconfirmed reports of tornadoes touching down in the Star City/Valparaiso area, but Lang said they have not been able to verify those reports as of yet.

She said the conditions were ideal for the formation of rapid, intense storms.

“We had some warm temperatures, we had the moisture, we had…the stuff that was in the atmosphere that we needed,” Lang said. “When we get intense thunderstorms like that, especially when they develop rapidly, all forms of severe weather are likely with these types of thunderstorms.”

Significant rain from the storm system also soaked Nipawin. (Submitted/Susan Westgard)

The rest of the night should be relatively quiet weather-wise, Lang said, as there is drier, more stable air behind the passing system. Lang said we could see more storms pass through over the next several days, but they will be sporadic.

“It’s going to be…one of those hit-and-miss things that some areas get it, and some don’t,” Lang explained. “Everyone’s just got to be on their guard looking out for these storms.”

cam.lee@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @camlee1974