A rare "heat burst" did significant damage near Foremost, Alta. over the weekend. (Photo Courtesy Alan and Irene Harty)

By Dan Reynish

‘Heat burst’ likely to blame for severe weather damage in southeastern Alberta over weekend

Sep 6, 2022 | 5:09 PM

FOREMOST, AB – Parts of southeast Alberta were hit with a severe and rare weather wallop over the Labour Day weekend.

Photos taken near Foremost show just some of the damage left behind from mangled grain bins to flattened outbuildings.

Environment Canada says the likely culprit is a “heat burst” resulting from a line of thunderstorms that moved across the region in the overnight hours early Sunday morning.

The weather office says the storm brought wind gusts as high as 100 to 110 kilometres an hour as temperatures quickly rose as much as 10 degrees in some places.

Meteorologist Kyle Fougere says heat bursts are a rare phenomenon that can pack a punch.

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He says heat bursts typically only occur in Alberta once every couple of years.