ARCOLA - The southeast region was hit by two significant thunderstorms that left a trail of destruction in their wake.
The storms which brought high winds, torrential rain and intense lightning, wreaked havoc on both the urban and rural landscapes, causing extensive damage to trees and crops.
The first storm hit early Aug. 24, bringing two inches of rain in 20 minutes to some areas, with hail the size of toonies and wind that lifted shingles and blew patio furniture over the yard.
Another storm was predicted to be much stronger than the first, with winds in excess of 160 kilometres an hour, and the weather forecasters warned people to be ready.
This line of strong storms came in around 4 a.m. the following morning, with non-stop lightning and loud thunder.
Some Arcola farmers and residents were among those hit the hardest, and the extent of the damage was still being looked into.
Brad Paton and his wife Rhonda, who live south of Arcola, were among those that had extensive tree damage on his farm. He had a row of mature trees that served as a wind belt and a place for his grandchildren to play, but they were destroyed.
He heard the wind and had never seen or heard such a force of wind. They thought the windows in their home were going to blow in.
His neighbour has a speedometer for wind, and he clocked it at 160 km/h.
“I have never experienced this kind of wind as long as I have lived here,” said Brad Paton.
Along with the tree damage, the door was ripped off his shop, along with part of the wall, and his potato patch had the plants pulled right out of the ground.
He was not the only one to receive this kind of damage. Down the road a wheat field that once stood three feet tall now laid flat on the ground, and a corn crop that stood six feet high was partly on its side.
The crops were just ready for harvest, and the wheat was heavy with seeds. The extent of the field damage had not been immediately assessed.
The shop is repairable, but the trees that have stood for 80 years are gone, which has saddened the Patons. On the other hand, they are grateful their home was spared.
