Rainfall warnings expanded for areas west of Edmonton

Rainfall warnings issued Mondaynowinclude Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Morinville, Legal, Wabamun, Wildwood andEvansburg.

Other areas bracing for heavy rain include Drayton Valley, Breton, Pigeon Lake, Calmar, Devon, Warburg and Thorsby.

Around 8 a.m. Monday, Environment Canada issued updated rainfall warnings for a wide swath of west-central Alberta.

Rainfall warnings had been issuedaround 3 a.m. for Hinton,Grande Cache, Nordegg, Rocky Mountain House, Caroline, Whitecourt, Edson, Fox Creek and Swan Hills.

A low pressure system developing over southern Alberta has begun to spread heavy rain over the Hinton, Whitecourt and northern foothills regions, Environment Canada said.

Heavy rain is expected to continue through the day Monday before tapering off Tuesday morning.

Generally, most areas will see total rainfall amounts in the 50 to 75 mm range but some areas could see higher amounts due to embedded thunderstorms, the weather agency said.

It warned that heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible. People should watch forpossible washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts.

The rainfall warnings issued Monday followed an alert about a possible tornado late Sunday in the Yellowhead County region. The tornado warning was later lifted.

Earlier Sunday,Braydon Morisseau, with Prairie StormChasers, witnessed a tornado briefly touch down northeast of Edson.

"It was very brief, it lasted like a minute before it dissipated," Morisseau told CBC News Sunday evening.

Even though the tornado warning has ended Morisseau said the thunderstorm that remains is quite powerful.

"Right nowthere are very violent winds, some bigger hail in there, lots of lightning."