Severe weather on Saturday night caused a power outage that blanketed the city of Prince Albert.
The storm also caused damage and power outages in communities such as Melfort, Kinistino, Nipawin and other locations.
A power outage map posted by SaskPower showed that power was out as far as Buffalo Narrows, Tisdale, and Lloydminster.
“SaskPower experienced a major transmission outage as a result of storm damage in an area including Prince Albert, Melfort, Shellbrook, Spiritwood, Nipawin, Candle Lake, La Ronge and Hudson Bay,” SaskPower wrote in an email to the Daily Herald on Monday. “The outages began around 10:50 p.m. Saturday with most customers restored by 6 a.m. Sunday. In total, approximately 50,000 customers were affected.
“Anyone who comes across a downed line or other damaged power infrastructure should remain back at a safe distance (at least 10 metres) and call the outage centre at 310-2220 or 911 in an emergency,” the email added.
The power went out in Prince Albert at around 11 p.m. in parts of the city and was restored at around 2:22 a.m. Other parts of the City including portions of the downtown did not have power restored until later in the morning or early afternoon on Sunday.
According to a SaskPower update on X, formerly known as Twitter, power was restored to most customers in the Central North part of the province by 6:34 a.m.
An update at 11:51 a.m. on Sunday stated that power was restored in areas in north of Prince Albert including downtown and River Street.
Areas restored included Prince Albert City, Shellbrook, Spiritwood, Candle Lake, La Ronge and all surrounding rural areas.
According to SaskPower as of 6:34 a.m. remaining customers without power in Tisdale, Nipawin, Carrot River and surrounding rural areas crews were currently investigating and looking to restore power to remaining areas.
In a letter posted on Facebook, the RM of Nipawin stated that residents dealing with property damage are encouraged to photograph and document damage before beginning cleanup, keep receipts for emergency repairs and contact their insurance provider as soon as possible.
Farmers with crop or hail damage can begin claims through Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance.
In Prince Albert, a dark sky on Saturday night brought plow winds, heavy rain and hail. There was also localized flooding in Prince Albert.
The storm itself was not as severe in the area around Albertville with only the severe winds, however the area did experience the power outage.
In Kinistino, about 20 minutes west of Melfort. Emergency personnel worked through the night to try and restore power. According to a Facebook post by the Kinistino Fire Department it was restored around 2 p.m. The Ag World dealership roof collapsed in Kinistino, according to a Facebook post.
In Melfort, the Melfort Golf and Country Club was closed and asked for assistance cleaning up the course so it could open for the day. The Melfort Fire Department reported in a Facebook post that it was a busy night with four calls including a partial roof collapse on Burns Avenue, a powerline down on Stovel West, alarms ringing on the north end of Main Street and a powerline down on a grid road.
The Ag World building in Kinistino experienced severe damage after the storm that blanketed North Central Saskatchewan.
A photo of some of the damage in Melfort after a severe storm blanketed North Central Saskatchewan.
“We are thankful to report that no injuries were reported in any of these calls,” the post stated.
“Thank you to SaskPower and all the other agencies, homeowners and volunteers who are out today (Sunday) cleaning up the aftermath of last night’s storm.”
There were also reports of a tornado touching down near Spiritwood on Saturday evening.
“SaskPower thanks customers for their patience as we carry out this work as quickly and safely as possible,” the email from the province concluded.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
