A section of Whitemud Drive in west Edmonton was closed after a severe thunderstorm dropped massive amounts of rain Saturday night, prompting multiple 911 calls.
Geysers of water erupted from manholes along a freeway in west Edmonton, where several underpasses were flooded.
The 170th Street underpass turned into a lake where firefighters were dispatched to help some people stuck on the edge of the embankment between the northbound and southbound overpasses.
Firefighters rescue stranded people after Whitemud Drive floods under the 170th Street overpass in west Edmonton on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
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Vehicles were forced to turn around and go back the way they came, along one-way lanes of the motorway, and even side exits were impassable in places.
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Three vehicles were stranded on the eastbound 170th Street ramp where about two feet of water had collected in a sinkhole in the road.
Vehicles were stuck in high water on the eastbound Whitemud Drive exit ramp at 170 Street, which was flooded during a thunderstorm on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
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Around 10:30 p.m., Edmonton police said all of Whitemud was closed between 156 and 178 streets.
Police said the storm and subsequent runoff caused major problems on Edmonton roads and all drivers were advised not to drive unless necessary.
Whitemud Drive is flooded under the 170th Street overpass in west Edmonton on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
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Several other roads across the city were also flooded and emergency crews were sent to help drivers, including on Yellowhead Trail from 82nd to 156th streets, Jasper Avenue from 82nd to 92nd streets and on 97th Street where it goes under the old railroad bridge between 104th and 105th avenues.
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The City of Edmonton has closed northbound Groat Road from the River Valley Road interchange to 107 Avenue due to flooding turning the roadway through a ravine into a river.
Car stuck in the river on Grout Road!!!#yegwx #abstorm #yeg pic.twitter.com/iz7H7thaqO
— Mr. Pants (@__MrPants__) July 26, 2026
At midnight, Edmonton Transit said it was experiencing delays across the city due to the weather.
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Around 1 a.m. Sunday, city officials said there was also flooding on Connors Road, under the 98th Avenue Bridge, and drivers were asked to avoid the area.
The fast-moving storm forced people at KDays to take shelter at the Expo Center and forced Post Malone’s concert at Commonwealth Stadium to end early.
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Concertgoers took shelter in the concourse as strong winds and sideways rain hit the stadium.
A severe thunderstorm forced Post Malone concertgoers to seek shelter in the concourse of Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alta. on Saturday, July 25, 2026
Credit Zach Ober
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Edmonton police asked people to also avoid the area around Commonwealth Stadium and the Expo Centre, including 112th Avenue from Wayne Gretzky Drive to 97th Street, so people could leave safely.
911 began experiencing “exceptionally high volume” due to the storm, police said, which EPS said could impact response times and wait times.
For non-emergency issues, people were encouraged to contact appropriate non-emergency resources to keep the 911 line available for those with urgent needs.
EPS non-emergency number is 780-423-4567 or 377 within city limits.
Whitemud Drive was closed at 170 Saturday night with cars turning around due to heavy flash flooding. The eastbound on-ramp was also closed as the southbound 170th Street on-ramp was also flooded, stranding three vehicles. #yes #yegwx #abstorm pic.twitter.com/5U4Yo9iXQW
— Karen Bartko (@KarenBartko) July 26, 2026
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The storm that swept through Edmonton was one of several waves of storm systems that Environment Canada meteorologists were tracking Saturday night.
In issuing weather warnings, the agency said the dangerous thunderstorm could produce damaging wind gusts, ping-pong ball-sized hail and heavy rain.
Severe thunderstorm west of Edmonton on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
Credit: Susan Campbell
The storm cell, stretching from Barrhead in the north to Leduc in the south, was moving east at 45 km/h and warnings said there was a risk of tornadoes.
Earlier in the evening, a tornado warning was issued west of Edmonton in Yellowhead County near Pierce and Neaton Junction around 7 p.m.
A severe thunderstorm swept through the Edmonton region and central Alberta on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
Environment Canada
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