The environment and climate change in Canada (ECCC) says that it is investigating eight possible tornadoes that may have landed in southern Saskatchewan on Thursday.
The reports range from the Saskatoon area to the cities east of Estevan.
Crawford Luke, an ECCC meteorologist, said the events are still under investigation and that nothing has been officially confirmed. However, he described the scope of the reports as significant.
“Having eight tornadoes in one day would be quite substantial, I would say. It’s not a very common fact,” Luke said.
The system that triggered the storms was a large channel through the province, creating a sudden wind change that acted as a catalyst for thunderstorms.
The storms concentrated on a line that extended from near Saskatoon, through the Regina area and the southeast to the Manitoba border, Luke said.
Luke said that suspicious tornadoes include:
- One near Young, southeast of Saskatoon.
- Three near Regina in the communities of Davin, Odessa and Hubbard.
- Four in the southeast, including near Frobisher and Hirsch, east of Estevan.
The meteorologist says that 8 turned in 1 day would be “quite substantial” if confirmed.
Luke said ECCC uses multiple sources for your investigations.
“We had a lot of storm observers and storm hunters who published videos and images on social networks,” Luke said. “We take what we can get. Fortunately, in this case, we have many accounts of eye witnesses and some quite good radar data to work.”
Possible tornadoes on Thursday could increase to an already active season. Saskatchewan has seen four tornadoes confirmed so far this year, two on June 2 near Cut Knife and two on June 13 near Coleville and Hepburn.
Luke said it is too early to know if this summer will be particularly busy.
“It is really difficult to forecast that. Tornadoes are a bit difficult, because you could have a day as potentially what we saw yesterday, and that can raise your numbers for the year quite dramatic at the same time.”
He added that while there is no immediate threat of more tornadoes, the season is far from finishing.
“It is still June. We still have July, August, September. So I’m sure there will be more severe electric storm days.”
Harrison Webster shared this video with CBC News and said he saw a tornado playing near Balgonie, east of Regina, on Thursday afternoon. The environment and climate change of Canada (ECCC) issued several tornado warnings for parts of Saskatchewan late in the afternoon of June 19.
One of the most dramatic storm images on Thursday Saskatoon wine, where a video published in Reddit showed a powerful ray in the center. Luke confirmed that the same storm complex that the tornado could have produced near Young also brought that ray storm through the city.
“It seemed that it was a prolific ray show that went through Saskatoon,” Luke said.
Luke encouraged residents to share photos, videos or reports of email or online. He said that these public reports are often valuable to help meteorologists confirm what happened on the field.
He also gave tips on what to do if you are in the midst of a tornado warning.
“It reaches the lowest floor, most of the inside of a building, and try to put so many walls between you and the exterior possible.”
‘It still doesn’t feel real’
Kayla Chamberlin and her partner, Shawn Hanofski, said they saw a tornado landing in the courtyard of their rural house near Hubbard, Sask., About 170 kilometers northeast of Regina, on Thursday night.
They said they saw him moments before he hit his property. The couple, along with their little son Gavin, ran to the basement for security.
“As soon as I looked out of the window of our room, we both said: ‘Tornado’,” Chamberlin said. “You could see that the tornado had already been on the ground.”
She said they managed to take one of her cats to the basement before the winds hit. His partner ran upstairs to close a window and saw rubble flying through his patio.
“Actually he saw that one of our lounge chairs picked up and threw one of the trees that ended up breaking,” he said.
Chamberlin described what he saw since his limited vision hidden in the basement with his family.
“Nothing could really be seen because it was like a bleach. He was white and gray outside the windows and you could hear things that were beaten against the house.”
His house suffered minor damage, but the patio was torn. Chamberlin said they are grateful that their cattle survived and that no one was injured, but it was a terrifying scene.
“My son, he was quite annoying because he is afraid. You don’t understand what is really happening until later,” he said. “It still doesn’t feel honestly real.”
She said she had never experienced anything like that. While tornadoes are not unknown in Saskatchewan, the direct impact has left them shocked, but grateful.
“Everything can be replaced. People can’t,” he said. “You really realize how lucky you have after a tragedy occurs.”
Chamberlin said that the large amount of support of the neighbors and the community in general has already been overwhelming.
“We have had an endless amount of support from all in the community making sure we were well, offering us help to clean,” he said.
