June storms caused $50M in damage in southern Alberta, says Insurance Bureau of Canada

The massive storms that pounded southern Alberta with lightning, hail and rain in late June caused an estimated $50 million in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Lightning strikes set two homes and several trees on fire in Calgary on June 28 while heavy rainfall caused streets to flood. Okotoks was also blasted by heavy hail while wind gusts were measured above 100 km/h and a small tornado touched down briefly near Ponoka.

• Lightning strikes houses and trees, as rain and hail pound southern Alberta
• Southern Alberta thunderstorm brings lightning, hail, flooding and even snow

"Storms like this bring the message home that we are seeing more extreme weather events and resulting damage to property," said Bill Adams, vice-president, Western and Pacific, IBC.

Most of the damage happened in Alberta but insurance claims were also made in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.