Although Estevan was hit by a nasty thunderstorm Saturday, it was largely spared from the damage seen in other areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The storm, which descended upon the area around 5 p.m., brought rain, high winds and hail to the area.
Estevan, and a large portion of southern Saskatchewan, was under a tornado watch for much of the day, but it appeared the storm was going to miss the area and continue on a northeast trajectory. However, it changed paths and began moving toward the city.
While nothing has been confirmed, it's estimated that over two inches of rain fell inside of an hour. That deluge led to flash flooding in a number of areas including Fourth Street, the Willow Greens Mobile Home Park, the Estevan Shoppers Mall parking lot and the Hillcrest area.
On Fourth Street, the water quickly began pouring over the curbs and made its way toward businesses in the downtown core. There have been no reports if any buildings in the area being water damaged as of press time. The flooding at the mall was centred in the area around the new Tim Hortons store. Before long the drive-thru was flooded out and actually stayed that way until Sunday morning. Despite the obvious body of water, some patrons actually decided to use the drive-thru, including one driver whose car stalled and had to be pushed out by restaurant staff.
Residents of the Willow Greens Park made the most of the situation, as some placed dinghys in the water and went for a quick ride. In the Hillcrest area, blocked storm drains caused a flood at the intersection of Duncan Road and Rooks Avenue. According to reports at the scene, the water was over three feet high before residents were able to clear some of the storm drains.
SaskPower crews were also called to action as the wind knocked a tree onto a power line on the 1100 block of First Street. The downed tree caused a power outage in the immediate area but, it was restored about 90 minutes later.
Outside of Estevan, there have been varying reports of damage. The Weyburn-Halbrite area was hit with large hail, with some saying the stones were as large as grapefruits. Although nothing has been announced by Sask. Agriculture, there have been reports the hail caused significant damage to crops in that area as well as around Torquay.
The Carlyle and Redvers areas were also slammed with hail and high winds. A number of Redvers residents were without power until Sunday evening because of the damage.
As bad as Saturday's storm was for some, there were fears on Monday it may have been an appetizer.
Both Environment Canada and the Weather Network reported Monday morning that Saskatchewan could see "Oklahoma-style" thunderstorms and tornados. A large section of the province, including Estevan, was under a tornado watch for much of the day, but the southeast was spared from any major storms. However, four tornados were reported in Saskatchewan. Fortunately, no injuries resulted from the tornados.
In Estevan, there was a quick blast of wind that downed another tree along First Street and knocked out power for well over an hour in the same area impacted on Saturday.
