Powerful wind gusts caused disruptions in transportation, power supply, and voting activities in central and northern Alberta on Wednesday. Environment and Climate Change Canada issued warnings for various regions, indicating wind gusts up to 90 km/h were likely in some areas of the province.
The weather agency noted that strong winds had formed from Slave Lake through Edmonton and were expected to move southeast towards the Lloydminster area by early evening before weakening later in the night. In Athabasca and Clyde, power outages affected advance voting stations during the provincial referendum preparations.
Elections Alberta stated that due to a power outage at 2 p.m., the voting locations in Athabasca and Clyde were temporarily closed, with plans to reopen after power restoration by 4:30 p.m. The agency assured that voting materials were secured during the closure and that voting would resume for the same duration lost.
Additionally, Epcor, a utility provider in Edmonton, reported a power outage in the southwest part of the city linked to the weather conditions. The Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) announced the temporary suspension of Valley Line LRT service due to electrical issues caused by high winds. The airport experienced flight delays and cancellations, although the exact impact of the windy conditions remained unconfirmed.
Efforts to obtain comments from airport officials on the operational impact of the weather conditions are ongoing.