Strong winds swept central and northern Alberta on October 14 and 15, bringing scattered power outages, difficult driving and brief interruptions to advance voting ahead of the province's October 19 referendum.
Environment Canada wind warnings covered a broad area including Edmonton, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Slave Lake, Whitecourt, Swan Hills and Lloydminster. Forecasters described northwesterly winds around 60 km/h, gusting to about 90 km/h, easing overnight into Thursday.
Provincial road services warned drivers about sudden crosswinds and blowing debris, particularly on exposed stretches of Highway 16 and Highway 2. Northern areas also saw showers and wet snow at higher elevations.
Conditions in Edmonton were expected to clear on Thursday, October 15, with calmer and sunnier weather following the wind event. The disruption landed in a sensitive week, with advance voting already under way.
