Edmonton Fire Rescue Services responded to a record-high volume of calls during and after this weekend's storms. That's the City of Edmonton's own description, and it's the clearest measure of how hard the weather hit.
Strong winds and heavy rain flooded roads, tore down trees, knocked over traffic signal poles, and put water inside several city recreation centres. City and EPCOR crews worked through the weekend clearing debris and pumping out buildings. Most of the worst disruptions have been dealt with. Some haven't.
We covered this story as the storm moved through the region on Friday night: https://www.culturealberta.com/articles/severe-storm-hits-edmonton-st-albert-spruce-grove-and-stony-plain-tonight-large-hail-and-damaging-wi
This is what it left behind.
What's still closed
Telus World of Science is closed until further notice. No reopening date has been given.
Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre at Coronation Park is closed until further notice. The rest of that facility is open.
Grand Trunk Fitness and Leisure Centre is open, but its main pool is closed indefinitely.
Some facilities are still assessing damage, and the city says a few expect longer closures, full or partial.
What's reopened
Most facilities are back: Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre (its aquatic centre is down for previously scheduled maintenance), Central Lions Recreation Centre, St. Francis Xavier Sports Centre, the Heritage Amphitheatre, the Orange Hub, the Citadel Theatre, and the city's golf courses.
The roads
Reopened: Whitemud Drive near 170 Street and 178 Street; Whitemud at the 122 Street off-ramp; Yellowhead Trail at 82 Street under the CN overpass; Yellowhead west of 121 Street; 111 Avenue near 158 Street; and 118 Avenue near 149 Street.
Still affected:
130 Avenue and 107 Street — road and sidewalk both closed
178 Street off-ramp to Whitemud Drive — down to one lane until repairs finish
Stony Plain Road near 154 Street (Valley Line West LRT) — sidewalk closed
At 83 Avenue and 104 Street, a downed traffic signal pole has been temporarily repaired. Permanent work is in progress.
If your yard is full of branches, this is the part you want
The city is extending hours at its waste facilities specifically so people can get rid of storm debris.
From July 14 to 28, Eco Stations will be open daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Edmonton Waste Management Centre runs 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Over the same two weeks, you can also drop tree and branch debris at designated areas in Community Recycling Depots.
Two-week window. If the storm took down a tree in your yard, this is when to deal with it.
Stay out of the river
All boat launches on the North Saskatchewan remain closed.
The city is asking people to keep well back from moving water and to keep pets leashed near the river and near stormwater ponds. The reason it gives is blunt: river rescues are complex, and they put first responders' lives at risk.
That warning lands harder this week. A six-year-old girl drowned in a pond in southeast Calgary on Sunday.
The rest of it
Broken LRT crossing arms have been repaired. Crews are still clearing downed trees and branches from roads, pathways and trails, and the city wants those reported to 311.
Some River Valley trails remain closed from earlier weather. Check edmonton.ca/TrailCautions before you go, and watch for debris.
Sports field closures are posted at edmonton.ca/FacilityNotifications by 2 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends.
The Animal Care and Control Centre is open, but its main lot is flooded and the accessible parking isn't usable. Alternate parking is available.
Why the gravel roads aren't fixed yet
If you're driving a gravel road that's turned to soup, the city is asking for patience, and there's an actual reason behind it. Saturated gravel roads develop soft sections fast, and sending heavy graders onto them while they're still wet does more damage than it repairs. Crews wait until the roads dry and firm up. The upside is that gravel roads recover about as fast as they fall apart.
The heat is coming. So are more storms.
Edmonton climbs into the mid-to-upper 20s this week, with highs near 30 C by the weekend, as a heat dome from the western U.S. pushes into Alberta.
But the storms aren't done. Forecasters have flagged another active week, with the Edmonton-to-Fort McMurray corridor the stretch to watch. Slow-moving cells with heavy downpours are in the forecast, and hail and strong winds are again the main threats.
That matters more than usual right now. The ground is saturated and the drains have been working overtime. Heavy rain falling on soaked ground has nowhere to go, which is how you get flooding twice in one week.
Keep an eye on your alerts.
Sources:
City of Edmonton, "City of Edmonton impacts due to weekend storm," July 13, 2026, with statement from Acting City Manager Craig Walbaum
City of Edmonton, edmonton.ca/FacilityNotifications and edmonton.ca/TrailCautions
EPCOR
Culture Alberta, our coverage of the storm as it hit: https://www.culturealberta.com/articles/severe-storm-hits-edmonton-st-albert-spruce-grove-and-stony-plain-tonight-large-hail-and-damaging-wi
