A powerful storm swept through the Rocky Mountain House area and across central Alberta on Saturday, July 4, 2026, unleashing baseball-sized hail and damaging winds that battered homes, vehicles, and crops.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 4:52 p.m. for Lacombe and Ponoka counties, tracking an extremely dangerous storm capable of producing damaging wind gusts, baseball-sized hail, and heavy rain. The storm cut a path from Rocky Mountain House through to Alix, impacting communities including Rimbey, Bentley, Blackfalds, Lacombe, Clive, and Ponoka.
Storm chaser Chris Ratzlaff documented the event, describing it as a race against ice to capture the storm’s structure. Meteorologist Brian Proctor with Environment and Climate Change Canada called the weekend a “very, very active set up for summer severe weather.” Hailstones grew to sizes approaching billiard balls, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The damage adds to a growing toll in Alberta, where major hailstorms have struck every year for the past two decades. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the last five years alone have caused $5.5 billion in insured losses from summer storms, accounting for more than half of all such losses over the past 20 years.
Residents across the region are now checking property and vehicles for dents and shattered glass. With Alberta’s hail season typically ramping up in July, officials urge homeowners to review their insurance coverage and consider hail-resistant building materials where possible.
