Shortly after 1 p.m. today (June 13), Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Cochrane and neighbouring communities.

Mountain View County near Carstairs, Stirlingville,  Mountain View County near Cremona, Water Valley, Mountain View County near Olds and Didsbury, Mountain View County near Sundre, Rocky View County near Airdrie and Crossfield, Rocky View County near Bottrel and Madden, as well as Rocky View County near Cochrane,  are all under watch at this time.

Dan Kulak, Meteorologist with Environment Canada says while severe storm warnings have been issued for communities to the north such as around the Rocky Mountain House area, the 'severe thunderstorm watch' means conditions are favourable regardless of whether we are experiencing adverse weather at this time. "As for Cochrane, the storms are to the north but we are anticipating more storms to develop closer to Cochrane later this afternoon."

It is not unusual for thunderstorm warnings and watches to be issued during this time of year, says Kulak. "If anything, I am probably a little bit surprised that we haven't had any storms coming off the Foothills a little bit earlier in the month. Every year has its own character, and this is probably the first significant day where we are seeing the afternoon thunderstorm development off the Foothills and then moving eastward to the more central part of the province."

Residents or people in or near these areas should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions, shares Kulak, and if you can, don't place yourself in the eye of the storm. "The first thing to do in the case of inclement weather is to make sure you are not there in the first place. Maintain that awareness of what is happening by keeping an eye on the sky or listening to the radio, and knowing that today is a day where there is a potential for some severe storms, and try not to put yourself in a vulnerable situation. However, if the storms are approaching where you happen to be, make sure to take shelter, as the main threat from most storms like this is lightning. Lightning does on average, kill more people per year in Canada than does hail, rain, wind, tornadoes and hurricanes combined. Lightning is a significant factor that I think is often under-appreciated, but certainly, in severe storms, you can also get the strong wind and huge hail."

Are we in for a wild weather weekend?! Kulak doesn't think so. "I think today is a bit of a transition as we have a weather system moving through that is triggering these areas of thunderstorms. As we move into tomorrow (June 14), I think we're going to have somewhat of cooler weather but still some chances of 'connective activity', but today is probably the day with the most potential for severe weather in the area."