'A marvellous light show': Overnight storm rattles Edmonton area, swamps town to the east

Wicked lightning, rolling thunder and a burst of hard rain struck the Alberta capital early Monday morning, while the town of Tofield to the east may have been the hardest hit.

"It was a marvellous light show for about an hour, and then the rain came," recalled a Tofield resident named Arnold.

He believes it was the biggest storm to hit the community since he moved there 22 years ago.

"The thunder was rolling all the time. Normally, you'll see the flashing light and then you get a bang. This one was just one rumble. For about an hour, all you heard was a rumble," Arnold said.

As many as 100 millimeters of rain fell on the town about 60 kilometres east of the city in just an hour.

The water pooled in parking lots and parks, prompting some to get their tubes and go swimming as temperatures hit the mid-20s.

"Nice fun, something to do all day," one swimmer said.

"You know what? On a hot day, might as well just jump in the water. People used to do that all the time, so may as well keep doin’ it right?" One dad told CTV News Edmonton.

The water also flooded basements, including that of Keegan Hoculak, who was left waiting for an insurance assessment and a restoration company.

"There’s never been a history of water in this basement ever. So this is new," he said. "I guess this is why we save money for a rainy day, literally."

Several businesses in Tofield were closed Monday because of water damage, including a daycare which became flooded by a sewer backup in the apartments above it.

A flooded car in Tofield, Alta., on July 24, 2023. (Supplied)

A flooded street in Tofield, Alta., on July 24, 2023. (Supplied)

"The system can’t handle it. Regular rains, we’re fine. But when it comes down in that capacity, there’s no way you can handle it," Mayor Deb Dueck said.

She said the town is built on swampland and much of it doesn’t have underground pipes for stormwater.

"This is the third storm in two-and-a-half weeks where we’ve had a total of nine-plus inches [of rain]," she said.

Without more infrastructure funding and a lot of construction, Dueck said all town staff can do is react and help residents as quickly as possible.

As for swimming in the new ponds that formed around town, Dueck does not recommend it.

"If it’s sewer water, sewer backup, we don’t know what’s in there," she said.

Rainfall amounts around the Edmonton region ranged from about 15 millimeters in Sherwood Park to about 44 millimeters in southwest Edmonton, according to CTV News Edmonton's Cory Edel.

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said crews responded to about 300 storm-related calls.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson

Heavy rain and lightning in Edmonton on July 24, 2023. (Source: Twitter/StormLova)