Gusty Winds and Large Hail Leave 120-mile Scar In Alberta Visible From Space

Have you ever experienced a powerful storm?

I have.

Have you ever experienced a powerful storm so strong that you find out later that you can view its damage from space?

That is where you got me.

A round of powerful storms moved through part of Alberta on the week of August 19th, bringing destruction in its wake.

(More: Hailstorm Leaves 40+ Mile Long Scar In North Dakota)

Damage Visible From Space

On August 20th, a supercell moved across Alberta, bringing wind gusts up to 93 mph and hail the size of golf balls (1.75 inches in diameter).

Canada’s “Hailstorm Alley”

While Canada isn’t known for hailstorms, they do have a “Hailstorm Alley”, which generally runs through High River, just southeast of Calgary, Alberta, through central Alberta.

This area’s relatively moist air interacts with the cold air of the Rockies nearby to create the perfect ingredients for hailstorms, so they are actually not uncommon.

Alberta just experienced another hailstorm in July, which cost over $160 million.

The Calgary area saw a devastating hailstorm, which single-handedly caused $2 billion in damage.

Americans are all too familiar with hailstorms. In fact, in 2025, we have seen over 5,000 large hail reports across the nation. And that's below average.

Rob Shackelford is a meteorologist and climate scientist at weather.com. He received his undergraduate and master’s degree from the University of Georgia studying meteorology and experimenting with alternative hurricane forecasting tools.