'A powerful, photogenic storm': More than 20 tornado warnings issued during stormy Saskatchewan night
Saskatchewan’s skies lived up to its moniker Thursday night, creating some picturesque storm clouds. Amateur and professional storm chasers flocked to social media showing their view of an active weather event.
However, not all was so beautiful. Manitoba storm chaser Jordan Carruthers followed one cell from Indian Head past the Manitoba border.
“It was a powerful, photogenic storm and a very exciting chase,” he said. “But for the people in the path, it was definitely a dangerous storm and absolutely had the potential to produce a tornado at any moment.”
Twenty-two tornado warnings were issued across central and southern Saskatchewan by Environment Canada on Thursday afternoon and evening, on top of multiple severe thunderstorm warnings.
Over 200 severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings were combined between Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Warnings stretched from southwest Saskatchewan to the Manitoba border from around 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Heavy rain, large hail and strong wind gusts were all possible in severe warned storms.
Residents in the central-east part of the province were hit particularly hard by the storm. Yorkton received heavy rains, enough to flood some city streets, as well as up to golf-ball-sized hail.
Churchbridge was hit hard by the rain as well Thursday, getting 46 millimetres along with some damaged and downed trees.
“It was the perfect conditions for super cells,” said CTV Regina Meteorologist Bradlyn Oakes. “They had the energy; the potential in the atmosphere was there for these to develop and they all lit up at the same time.”
Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang said as of Friday morning they had one confirmed tornado touchdown near Morse, Sask. around 5:38 p.m. on Thursday.
Lang added that Thursday could be considered a typical stormy afternoon and evening in June for Saskatchewan, but said the severity may have seemed worse for people because the past two years have been quiet on the storm front due to droughts.
Oakes said at one point, there were three different tornado-warned storms leading to a large area of the province being under tornado warnings at the same time.
“Then there was a large amount of severe thunderstorm-warned storms that were not producing tornadoes but were producing hazardous conditions,” she said.
Carruthers noted that although super cell storms can create some perfect images to go viral on social media, it is important to be aware of how a storm is acting and always listen to weather alerts.
“Take the warning seriously,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of times where warnings get issued and nothing happens. But if you get coherent like that and something does happen, it won’t be a good situation.”
Oakes said that with the ‘la nina’ conditions this summer creating more moisture in the air, any time the weather becomes warmer and more humid, there could be the potential for more weather events similar to Thursday’s.
More Saskatchewan residents were able to capture some pictures of the stormy weather Thursday and post them on social media.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.