'Supercell' thunderstorm pummels parts of southern Sask., leaving a trail of damage

Many people in southern Saskatchewan are picking up the piecesafter strong thunderstorms left a trail of damage.

The storms came aftera tornado warningissued for parts of south central Saskatchewan including areas aroundMoose Jaw,Pense, Belle Plaine, Stony Beach, Rouleauand Briercrest at 5:40 p.m. CST on Tuesday,according to Terri Lang, a metrologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

"It kept rolling along as what we call asupercell, which is the kind of storm that can keep going for hours and hours because all the ingredients are there to keep it going," she said.

Lang said there weren't any confirmed tornado touchdowns, but updated numbers from ECCCshow wind gusts in Regina reached 93 km/h andhail that ranged from apea to a golf ball in size.

Northwest Regina was hit especially hardaccording to Lang, as almost 30 mmof rain fell within about an hour in that area.

Kurtis Doney,director of water, waste and environment for the City of Regina, confirmed that part of the city was hit the hardest, sayingthere was also some localized flooding due to storm drains being clogged by leaves, but crewswere able to prevent widespread flooding.

Doney said the city received about 95 calls for service for"a wide range of situations, including debris and branches and some localized flooding."

Doney didn't have details regardingsignificant property damage since that would be an insurance matter, but he said, "The storm was significant in regards to wind and hail,so I do expect that there is property damage particularly in the northwest part of Regina."

Meanwhile, many peopletook to social media to share what they were seeing on Tuesday.

Doney said the city will continue to remove downed trees, prioritizingonesthat could be a safety risk to residents.

He also commended residents for keeping their storm drains as clear asthey could,but remindedthemto keep an eye out for clogged drains.

Lang said the weather system has moved east for the most part, but that parts of central Saskatchewan could see some showers on Wednesday.

ECCC has also released additionalnumbers from Tuesday:

24 hour rainfall accumulations (from ECCCstations):

• Moose Jaw: 54.7 mm
• Elbow: 52.0 mm
• La Ronge: 39.2 mm
• Pilger: 26.5 mm
• Waterous: 20.7 mm
• Buffalo Narrows: 17.5 mm

Hail:

• Assiniboia: Golf ball sized(4.5cm)
• Cherrydale: Toonie sized(2.9cm)
• Baildon: Pea sized (0.9cm) to toonie sized(2.9cm)
• Strongfield: Nickel sized (2.1cm)

24 hour peak wind gusts (in kilometers per hour):

• Indian Head: 87 km/h
• Prince Albert: 85 km/h
• Last Mountain: 83 km/h
• Moose Jaw: 74 km/h

Those who may need to file an insurance claim can do so on SGI's claims website.