Wild and stormy night takes toll on summer festivities in Edmonton

A series of storms that raced through the Edmonton region on Friday evening brought substantial hail and wind, toppled trees, shut down the Taste of Edmonton and sent festival-goers at Northlands and Hawrelak Parkscurrying for cover.

According to a tweet fromYEG Weather Records, the temperature at the Edmonton airport dropped by almost 12 degrees between 4 and 5 p.m., calling that the largest drop in a one-hour period since Aug. 17, 1992.

The severe thunderstorm warning was issued at 4:27 p.m. for the Edmonton region, including St. Albert and Sherwood Park. Once the storm hit, social media channels including Twitter, Facebook and Instagramlit up with reports of torrential rain, downed trees and hailstones big enough to cool down a gin and tonic.

The warning was downgraded to a thunderstorm watch, which ended at 7:44 p.m.

The storm also affected three festivals that officially got underway Friday: Interstellar Rodeo, a three-day concert at Hawrelak Park, Taste of Edmonton at Capital Plaza and K-Days at Northlands Park.

"In the interest of safety, we are closing Taste of Edmonton for the evening," the food festival announced at about 5:30 p.m.

K-Days, which operates a huge midway among other attractions at Northlands, urgedguests to seek shelter inside the Expo Centre when the storm initially blew through. Its updates on Twitter suggested that it was aiming to reopen the rides this evening.

It was also urging people on the grounds to investigate some of the fair's other unique attractions.

"If you were worried about being outside, come on inside and see the rodeo! Gates open at 5:30!," it said on Twitter.

At Interstellar Rodeo, the music festival in Hawrelak, it was appearing that all systems were go by about 6:30 p.m. Its first act, Reuben and The Dark, was expected to take the stage shortly. "Time for some fine wine + good times," it toldattendeessheltering under the park's amphitheatre roof.

LRT service was interrupted between Southgate and Century Park due to extreme high winds, according to a tweet fromEdmonton Transit Service.