Water tower stars in wild weather photo
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/07/2023 (868 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A photo that appears to show Selkirk’s water tower being struck by lightning is earning online attention — and a city explanation, after water was reported escaping the structure.
The photo was taken Wednesday by Selkirk resident “Sarah H,” who declined to be interviewed or give her full last name, during a thunderstorm that rocked much of southeastern Manitoba with high winds and large hail.
She later showed the photo to friend and neighbour Meaghan Chromy, and gave Chromy permission to post it online.
SUPPLIED A photo taken by a Selkirk resident appears to show the local water tower being struck by lightning.
“It’s my friend’s photo, she doesn’t have Facebook. She took it from an apartment block, which is how she got the high angle,” Chromy explained Friday.
Among the weather-related havoc in the Manitoba city Wednesday, Chromy said, a tree in her backyard caught fire (by lightning or possibly a downed power line). Firefighters extinguished it before any severe damage could happen.
Chromy said she usually makes her Facebook posts private, but decided to make the photo of the water tower and lightning public to fully share it with Selkirk community members.
The post ended up on the “Manitoba Weather Centre Storm Reports” Facebook page, where it received hundreds of reactions, and dozens of comments.
The attention the photo received was enough to elicit a reply from the City of Selkirk itself: “Allow us to explain why water was escaping the valve on the water tower.”
SUPPLIED Large hail fell on the Selkirk area during the storm.
The structure experienced a power failure during the storm, the city said. When power was restored, the pressure sensor which stops water from accumulating when the tower is full did not recalibrate, causing the massive container to overflow. The excess water then slid out through the valve.
There was no leak, city administrative officer Duane Nicol said Friday.
Subsequently, the tower was repaired and is now functioning properly, Nicol said.
graham.mcdonald@freepress.mb.ca
