It’s been a tumultuous summer for Edmontonians. A string of storms has left residents dealing with damage caused by not only flooding, but lightning as well.
A photo circulating on social media shows a portion of sidewalk in the area of 129 Avenue and 129 Street damaged by a lightning strike from Saturday’s storm. The approximately 50-centimetre crater is seen surrounded by scorch marks. A nearby fire hydrant was charred as well.
An Epcor spokesperson confirmed in an email statement on Thursday that a crew had replaced external components of the fire hydrant that were damaged and gave it a touch-up of paint.
Damage seen to an Edmonton fire hydrant in the area of 129 Street and 129 Avenue after a lightning strike on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
The damaged sidewalk was likely caused by an “abnormally strong positive lightning strike,” said Janelle Gergely, meteorologist with Environment Canada.
Gergely said approximately 4,000 lightning strikes were recorded during Saturday’s storm, the majority being intracloud strikes, with only a few described as being cloud-to-ground.
Some social media comments on the photo of the damaged sidewalk included the misconception that lightning will always strike the highest point in an area. While not impossible for a low-lying object to be hit by lightning, Gergely said it’s possible the lightning hit a nearby tall object and the current spread to the sidewalk.
She also said the soil saturated by rainfall and the wet sidewalk could have been factors in that spot being targeted by lightning.
Damage is visible on a sidewalk along 129 Avenue near 129 Street following a lightning strike, in Edmonton, Thursday July 23, 2026.
While some residents have made light of the weather event with joke signs posted around the hole, the lightning strike also serves as a reminder of the destructive forces Mother Nature wields.
Environment Canada advises that you take cover when a thunderstorm erupts, because lightning injures and even kills Canadians every year.
“Thirty minutes after the last roar of thunder is when it’s safe to go outside,” said Gergely.
Related
Area residents stop to look at where lightning struck a sidewalk along 129 Avenue near 129 Street, in Edmonton Thursday July 23, 2026.
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