PHOTOS: Tornado-warned storms pummel Alberta, Saskatchewan
A round of photogenic severe thunderstorms hit Alberta and Saskatchewan on Tuesday, bringing large hail and tornado warnings to southern parts of the provinces.
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It wouldn’t be summer without storms on the Prairies, and folks across Alberta and Saskatchewan saw some beefy storms on Tuesday as an active system rolled through the region.
Several severe thunderstorms popped up across southern and central Alberta on Tuesday afternoon, the result of instability and favourable dynamics as a low-pressure system moved east across the Prairies.
One particularly intense storm prompted tornado warnings north of Calgary, east of Red Deer. Folks west of Alliance had to take shelter on Tuesday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm in the area developed strong rotation.
While there haven’t been any reports of tornado damage from the region, the storm was certainly impressive. The Weather Network’s Kyle Brittain followed the storm as it reached its peak. Brittain documented the storm’s photogenic structure and resulting hail that covered the region.
As the storms pushed eastward, a similar eerie scene developed in southern Saskatchewan, where severe thunderstorms produced two confirmed tornadoes.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) found that the first tornado touched down west of Madison, while the second tornado touched down about ten minutes later near Smiley.
ECCC said that neither tornado resulted in any reports of damage, so each tornado received received a default EF-0 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Storm chaser Jenny Hagan was following the thunderstorms across Saskatchewan as they moved through the region. She managed to capture a separate tornado-warned storm that would later develop between Madison and Eston:
The risk for storms will be largely scattered across the Prairies on Wednesday. The surface trough over Alberta will migrate east towards Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with the focus of scattered storms spreading across the Interlake area of Manitoba. A few cells may develop in far eastern Saskatchewan as well. Follow the latest forecast for more information on what to expect Wednesday.
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Check out some of the impressive visuals that came out of Tuesday’s storms, below.