In the afternoon of August 5, powerful thunderstorms erupted in the southern part of Alberta province in Canada. The adverse conditions led to severe hail, strong wind gusts, and heavy rain.
In the evening of the same day, the storm struck Calgary. The northern areas of the city were at the center of the destruction. Numerous buildings were damaged, windows were shattered, cars were dented, and gardens were completely destroyed.
According to meteorologists, some of the hailstones that fell in Calgary had a diameter of about 4.5 cm.
Due to the hazardous weather conditions, residents were advised to stay sheltered.
The Calgary International Airport was severely affected.
In a video taken by one of the passengers, water can be seen flowing from the ceiling at the boarding gate, and pieces resembling tiles were falling from above.
Due to damage caused by hail and rain, Gate B and part of Zone C were evacuated. Later, some areas of the internal terminal had to be closed for repairs for an indefinite period.
Canadian airline WestJet reported that 16 aircraft, which is 10% of its fleet, were damaged and require serious repairs and inspections before they can fly again.
WestJet's President and COO, Diederik Pen, said that the strength and direction of the storm and hail became clear less than 30 minutes before they struck. Nevertheless, he expressed gratitude to the staff who were able to quickly respond to the danger and ensure passenger safety, while striving to minimize the company's losses where possible.
The city of Calgary and its residents have suffered significant damage, the extent of which is still being assessed.
Recently, we have increasingly encountered weather phenomena that were either not forecasted at all or turned out to be much stronger than expected. As a result, people often do not have enough time or resources to prepare for such disasters. It is evident that this poses a heightened threat to human life and health, and greatly increases damage to property and infrastructure.
Why are weather forecasts becoming more and more inaccurate and even erroneous? What new phenomena occurring on the planet are not accounted for by forecasting models? Answers to these and other questions can be found at the forum "Global Crisis. The Responsibility".