A series of storms hit the western Manitoba region on Wednesday night, causing hail ‘as large as golf balls’ to fall over parts of the region.
The storm moved through the town of Birtle, Manitoba, at 7:30pm. Local homeowner Sandi Gerwing told CBC the hail was the size of toonies. It damaged her truck and the onions she had been growing in her garden.
"It was so loud … I took a video from inside the house," she said. “You could hear it and the door was closed. So it was super loud."
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Mainline Motors, a local car dealership in the same area, was also beset by hail. The dealer’s 65 vehicles out on the lot were all damaged by the storm. Manager Robert Bicknell commented: "Obviously it's an act of nature … you can't really control it. There's no point in crying over spilled milk."
Bicknell said he was home on Wednesday night and was alerted to the storm when he heard hail hitting the tin roof of his apartment. He looked outside to find hail ranging from pea- to golf ball-sized pelting down on the uncovered vehicles in his dealership.
He began the arduous process of inspecting the damage the following morning. "We're just starting the insurance process right now," he explained. "Basically anything that wasn't inside has damage now but luckily that's what we have insurance for."
Bicknell added that the dealership would pull vehicles to sell for the time being. All of the hail-damaged vehicles cannot be sold until they are repaired.
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