The cleanup has begun following a massive thunderstorm that hit the Battlefords Monday night.

The storm, which struck shortly before 10 p.m., brought down entire trees and tree branches across North Battleford and Battleford.

The hardest hit areas appear to be the western portion of North Battleford and residential areas in the centre of the city, although damage could be found all over the city. A few houses had trees fall on them.

Power was knocked out to most of the Battlefords and they were still attempting to put the power back on Tuesday morning.

The storm was part of a system that wreaked havoc on a wide area of northwest and central Saskatchewan. Also hard-hit was Prince Albert, which saw massive power outages.

The City of North Battleford's council meeting was interrupted by the storm Monday, but reconvened Tuesday at noon to finish the agenda.

Winds from the storm were reported at over 100 kilometers per hour. Fire chief Pat MacIsaac reports there are “no reports of injuries, but there is a lot of property damage. We don't have an official damage estimate.”

According to Director of Parks and Recreation Keith Anderson, the main priority of crews has been to remove debris.

“Streets, boulevards, cemeteries and parks must be clear and safe. We are urging

residents to be very cautious around all trees, even ones that are still standing, as

there may be cracked branches that have not fallen yet,” said Anderson in a statement. “The City of North Battleford is waving landfill fees for anyone hauling branches over the next week.”

Mayor Ian Hamilton praised the efforts of city employees who worked through the night to respond to the situation.

“City employees responded to the storm in a timely manner and have been working

throughout the city from the moment the storm passed,” said Hamilton.

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, there were no reports of homes flooding, but there was some brief flooding at several intersections during the storm's height.

Weather watches continued Tuesday and city residents were asked to avoid driving unless they needed to be somewhere, as vehicles simply cause delays for crews trying to clean up.

The city says they will take names and addresses of anyone with tree issues at 445-1700. The anticipate the cleanup to last the next several days.

For power related issues, the number for SaskPower is 310-2220.

For more photos of the storm's aftermath, visit our photo gallery under the community tab.

Many traffic lights were knocked out by the storm. Where traffic lights are still out, drivers are to treat the intersection as if it were a four-way stop.