Multiple trees are seen resting on the roof of a home in the community. (Susan McNeil/paNOW staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Summer Storm

Cleaning up the mess: Nipawin hit hard by Canada Day storm

Jul 2, 2023 | 5:53 PM

Residents in Nipawin were left picking up the pieces after a large storm came through the community on Saturday night.

It produced winds as fast as 119km/h which knocked down and uprooted trees, leaving them to crash down on vehicles and houses.

Leslee Serack was sitting in her living room when the storm hit. She recalled the moment a tree came falling onto her family’s house.

“The wind came up instantly,” she said. “I ran to the living room window to look and I thought ‘oh, I’m going to rescue my plants in the back’ so I ran to the patio door at the back. I’m standing there and I hear a big crash, so I went and checked all the windows and there a tree is down (on our roof).”

The tree that came crashing down on Leslee Serack and her husband’s house. (Susan McNeil/paNOW staff)

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Luckily for her, she says there is little structural damage to her roof and no holes were found. However, other residents weren’t so lucky as some woke up to holes in their roofs and trees on top of their cars. The winds were so strong that numerous trees were also uprooted in the area.

The same image could be seen at Nipawin Regional Park where crews were busy clearing debris. Glenda Wilson and her family were camping in the park where she said trees were coming down all around her.

“We had one come down near our vehicle,” she explained. “We just stayed in the camper and watched what we could see.”

She added that a large tree came crashing into a vacant site next to hers.

A camper blanketed under numerous fallen trees. (Susan McNeil/paNOW staff)

The storm originated from central Alberta and grew stronger from there. The system also created a large tornado near Carstairs and Didsbury, AB which destroyed at least 12 homes.

– with files from The Canadian Press.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @lloganlehmann