Storm brings hailstones the size of golf balls to Sask. communities

Some residents in the Prince Albert area and on the Wahpeton Dakota Nation are busy with clean-up efforts after a powerful storm, with hailstones larger than a golf ball, swept through Monday night.

Multiple vehicles on the First Nation had windshields smashed by hailstones, and at least one sunroof was shattered.

Ronald Waditaka, a resident of the First Nation, was in his truck, just steps from his home when the storm hit.

“It was scary, but it wasn’t that scary, because my door was right there, but I was afraid to get hit on the head by one of these,” Waditaka said.

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A golf course just north of Prince Albert was also hit hard. Cam Cartier, owner and operator of Mark’s Nine Golf and Country Club, said he closed the course Tuesday morning in order to pick up fallen leaves and repair the greens.

“The greens got pelted pretty hard. I worked on them all day yesterday, but they’re still rough. It’s a work in progress, and takes a week or so to get them back,” he said.

Samantha Mauti, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said hailstones as large as 45 millimetres were recorded in the area.

“This one was considered a severe storm because of the size of the hail that came out of it. We consider a severe thunderstorm to have hail greater than a nickel-sized or 20 millimetres or greater,” she said.

Mauti recommends keeping up-to-date on weather watches and warnings and suggests immediately seeking shelter if there’s a hailstorm.