Tornado reported in Alberta amid Saturday's supercell threat, tornado warnings
Tornado warnings are being issued as Saturday's volatile tornadic supercell threat ramps up.
7:40 p.m. MT - Severe thunderstorms prompted a tornado warning in Alberta on Saturday.
Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a tornado warning for the following areas in Alberta:
Ponoka Co., near Rimbey Bluffton and Hoadley
Lacombe Co., near Eckville
CURRENT TORNADO WARNINGS (Alberta):
Ponoka Co., near Rimbey Bluffton and Hoadley
Lacombe Co., near Eckville
Communities in the path of the storm:
Leedale
"This is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation. Take cover immediately, if threatening weather approaches," ECCC said in its warning.
The agency added: "Go indoors to a room on the lowest floor, away from outside walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, stairwell or interior closet. Leave mobile homes, vehicles, tents, trailers and other temporary or free-standing shelter, and move to a strong building if you can. As a last resort, lie in a low spot and protect your head from flying debris.”
A tornado was reported on the ground west of Rocky Mountain House. The report was corroborated with visual footage from a highway camera looking west of the community.
Highway camera picture of a tornado outside of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., at 6:32 p.m. MT on Saturday, July 18, 2026. (511 Alberta)
The original article with the full forecast for Alberta and Saskatchewan continues below.
This summer has been nothing short of busy in terms of weather on the Prairies, and Saturday's storm threat will be no exception. Ingredients are coming together over central Alberta, including Edmonton, and western Saskatchewan to create a volatile environment rarely seen on our side of the border.
Stay alert for rapidly changing weather conditions and warnings throughout the evening. Have a plan in place in case severe weather watches and warnings are issued for your location, including if a tornado warning is issued while you’re in a vehicle.
DON'T MISS: Tornado warning safety: Here’s what you should do
Not everyone in the risk area will see a storm on Saturday, but any storm that does develop has the potential to become dangerous very quickly.
The Edmonton-North Battleford corridor will be at the greatest risk of seeing severe weather.
Rare, volatile storm environment building
High levels of energy in the atmosphere, as well as high moisture, atmospheric spin, and a strong jet stream over the Prairies, have created an environment that we would typically see in the United States' infamous tornado alley. It's quite rare for conditions to come together like this in Canada, where cold, dry air is typically available to limit storm severity.
Forecasters are closely monitoring for the potential of strong supercell thunderstorms that could produce long-lived tornadoes. Typically in Canada, a tornado on the ground lasts only a few minutes at most. With Saturday's environment, however, we could see any tornadoes that touch down stay on the ground for upwards of half an hour.
In addition to the tornadic threat, storms could produce damaging winds up to 120 km/h and large hail.
Storms are expected to fire up around Drayton Valley and reach the Edmonton area by the evening hours. From there, the storms will continue to move east into Saskatchewan through the late evening.
Wildfire smoke may hinder storms
With so many wildfires burning across Northern Canada and British Columbia, we could see the smoke in the atmosphere actually act as a cap for some of the storm development.
RELATED: From flames to forecasts: How wildfire smoke affects your weather
Essentially, the smoke in the upper atmosphere may push back against the growing storms, preventing them from reaching their full potential despite the volatile environment.
Conversely, the smoke could serve to delay any storm development until later in the evening when there is less atmospheric energy available for storms to tap into. This could also lower the tornadic threat.
However, there is significant uncertainty as to whether or not we will see this happen on Saturday. Forecasters will be closely monitoring the situation into the overnight hours as the storms unfold.
Stay with The Weather Network for the latest updates and information on your weather in Alberta and Saskatchewan.