High winds in central and northern Alberta affecting travel, power outages and voting

High winds in central and northern Alberta cause power outages, affect travel and voting

Environment and Climate Change Canada says up to 90 km/h wind gusts expected in some areas

Powerful wind gusts resulted in transportation, power and even voting disruptions in parts of central and northern Alberta on Wednesday.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued warnings for multiple areas earlier in the day, warning that wind gusts of up to 90 km/h were possible in some parts of the province.

“Strong winds have developed from Slave Lake through Edmonton,” the weather agency said in a post on its website. “These winds will progress to the southeast and reach the Lloydminster area by early evening.

“The winds will weaken in the evening hours.”

In the northern Alberta communities of Athabasca and Clyde, a power outage disrupted advance voting stations where people were casting their ballots for next week's provincial referendum.

In a news release, Elections Alberta said the voting locations at the Athabasca Seniors Centre and the Clyde returning office were closed after a power outage occurred at 2 p.m. The agency said power was expected to be restored by 4:30 p.m.

“When power is restored, both locations will reopen and stay open after 8 p.m. [for] the same amount of time they were closed in order to accommodate electors,” Elections Alberta said.

The agency noted voting materials, ballot boxes and ballots were secured when the voting locations were temporarily closed.

In Edmonton, the utility provider Epcor reported Wednesday afternoon that at least one power outage in the southwest part of the city was related to weather conditions.

Leaves blow amid powerful wind gusts in Edmonton on Wednesday. (Jamie McCannel/CBC News)

The Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) posted on social media shortly before 3:30 p.m. that Valley Line LRT service was temporarily not running between 102nd Street and The Quarters because of “electrical issues resulting from high winds.”

“Regular service is running between Mill Woods and Muttart,” ETS wrote in its post. “A shuttle train is running between Muttart and Quarters.”

The Edmonton International Airport website showed multiple flight delays and cancellations as of Wednesday afternoon.

“Strong winds in the region today did affect flight schedules, and some airlines proactively delayed or cancelled flights ahead of the weather,” EIA spokesperson Ashley Clark said in an email to CBC News.

“Decisions about individual flights rest with the airlines. We advise travellers to check their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.”

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