Wednesday, July 05, 2023

Researching changing tornado patterns in Canada

CBC News: The National

 Jun 30, 2023 #tornado #cbcnews #canadaTornadoes have not only become more common in Canada, but they’re also happening in different places. CBC’s Thomas Daigle hit the road with researchers trying to determine what’s causing the changes.



Alberta weekend tornado that damaged, destroyed homes rated rare, violent twister

The Canadian Press
Tue, July 4, 2023 



EDMONTON — A preliminary report on a weekend tornado in central Alberta says its winds were so violent they picked up a 10-tonne farm combine and tossed it half the length of a football field.

"(The combine) then rolled for another 50 to 100 metres after that," said the report, issued Tuesday by the Northern Tornadoes Project.

The report follows up on ground and drone surveys on the tornado that ripped through the rural area between the towns of Carstairs and Didsbury on Saturday.

Researchers rated the twister as a four on the Enhanced Fujita, or EF, scale of wind-damage intensity, one short of the maximum rating of five.

The storm destroyed three homes and damaged seven more, downed power lines, killed livestock, shredded trees and damaged vehicles.

The report said there was one injury — a cut to a first responder.

The estimated maximum wind speed was 275 kilometres per hour along a 15-kilometre path that stretched as wide as 620 metres.

It was the fiercest tornado to hit Alberta since the infamous “Black Friday” F4 storm in 1987, which killed 27 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in Edmonton.

And it’s the second EF4 storm to hit Canada since it adopted the EF damage scale a decade ago.

The first EF4 struck Alonsa, Man., in 2018, killing one person while destroying houses, farms and cabins.

“The Didsbury EF4 tornado enters some rarefied territory among Canadian tornado events,” said the report.

“Though this was a climatologically significant tornado, it thankfully won't enter the list of Canada's top 10 'worst' tornadoes due to the single minor injury and limited property damage.”

Northern Tornadoes Project, affiliated with Western University in London, Ont., completed the report with Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Arctic Storm Prediction Centre.

Area resident Elisa Humphreys recounted how she managed to flee just before the twister levelled her home and another building on her property.

Scores of volunteers showed up the next day with gift cards and helped find mementoes in the wreckage.

Environment and Climate Change Canada said Alberta typically sees 15 tornadoes per year, based on data collected between 1980 and 2009.

So far this year, the province has had up to 13.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2023.

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press



A tornadic storm that hit Saskatoon is one of Sask.'s worst weather events

Randi Mann
Tue, July 4, 2023


This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.

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On Thursday, July 4, 1996, aggressive thunderstorms hit Saskatoon, Sask. The storms produced several tornadoes. These Saskatoon thunderstorms are considered one of Saskatchewan's worst weather events.

At 4:50 p.m., thunderstorms started to develop just south-southwest of North Battleford. The storm cluster moved east and formed a supercell. The storm organized into a “hook echo” formation, which is a supercell that appears as hook-shaped on weather radar.


Courtesy CTV Saskatoon - lightning

At 5:45 p.m., the storm produced an F2 tornado. which is referred to as the “Maymont, Sask. F2 tornado." The tornado travelled for 13.6 km with a maximum width of 100 metres.

At 6:04 p.m., a hook formation produced an F3 tornado in Fielding, Sask., near the Yellowhead Highway.


*Courtesy of CTV Saskatoon - tornado

At 7:00 p.m., the hook was still active just north of Saskatoon. The storm produced around 11 tornadoes. Three of those tornadoes had a track longer than 10 km.

Overall, “severe thunderstorms on July 4 spawned at least eight tornadoes in Saskatchewan. Winds of 140 km/h and hail the size of golf balls produced $15 million in property damage,” reported by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

A Regina tornado on June 30, 1912, is considered Saskatchewan's worst weather event. The tornado is the deadliest twister in Canadian history. A total of 28 people died and hundreds were injured. It flattened homes and businesses, leaving 2,500 homeless.

The Regina tornado was featured on postcards and memorabilia in 1912.


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"View of Lorne Street, following the cyclone; two dogs can be seen on the road, as well as two unidentified women walking. (Postcard.)" Courtesy of Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan

To learn more about the July 4 Saskatoon tornado, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."

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Thumbnail: Courtesy of CTV Saskatoon

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