A Rimbey cattle shed was destroyed by a sudden and strong bout of wind.

The nearly 33-metre shed had the roof torn off Monday by unusually strong winds that owner Alvin Johnson says came out of nowhere.

The weather that afternoon was warm and pleasant, he says, with no sign of the devastation to come.

“It was a nice day. The clouds were getting dark in the distance and a little turbulent, and I remember seeing a few dust devils around, but there was no indication something like this would happen,” Johnson said.

He says it could have been a mini twister that caused the damage, which happened within half an hour, while Johnson says he was away from his farm.

“The entire roof was ripped off and the structure underneath was damaged beyond fixing,” he said.

A tree, about 100 metres from the structure, was the only other thing damaged by the sudden winds.

“None of my neighbours had any damage either. Just my shed and the one tree,” he said.

“Don’t know what caused it. It might have been on of those freak wind blasts.”

According to Environment Canada, the strongest wind gusts in the area Monday clocked in at 47 km/h, and no weather warnings were issued for the area.

Johnson plans to tear down what remains of his cattle shed and rebuild in the coming days.