Tornado fells trees after touching down in central Alberta
Tornado Touches Down in Central Alberta, Spares Area from Serious Damage
A tornado touched down in central Alberta on Wednesday, cutting a path through a treed area, but apparently sparing the area from any more serious damage. Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a tornado warning Wednesday afternoon for an area west of Drayton Valley. Storm chaser Trenten Pentelichuk watched the twister touch down near the hamlet of Lodgepole, about 175 kilometres southwest of Edmonton. He had been tracking the storm activity in the area and was prepared to witness a tornado if it formed.
Pentelichuk described the moment when the tornado touched down, stating, “Around 4 p.m., things kind of started taking off. Lots of the storms kind of went up and then died really fast, and then we noticed the one that did produce the tornado blew up … when we saw it on the radar to when it had the tornado on the ground it was probably 30, 45 minutes.”
After the tornado dissipated, Pentelichuk and his partner surveyed the damage with a drone. They observed that the storm had toppled some trees but had missed nearby farms, causing minimal structural damage.
A survey team from the Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed that a tornado had occurred in the area. Project director Dave Sills explained that the team assesses the tornado’s strength based on the details of the damage. Typically, they look for a long, narrow path of destruction to determine if it was a tornado.
Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor stated that the tornado emerged from a “supercell” thunderstorm, common in the Prairies and known for producing tornadoes. The tornado appeared to be on the ground for nearly 15 minutes, leaving behind debris and fallen trees indicating rotation.
This tornado marks the fourth probable tornado in Alberta this summer. In comparison, Saskatchewan has experienced 12 tornadoes so far. The yearly average for Saskatchewan is 14 to 15 tornadoes throughout the summer.
