The Community
Press Telling Your Story
Volume 115, Issue 5
EXTREME
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
$1 Including GST
WEATHER
BRANDY HANSEN PHOTO
An EF0 tornado was confirmed to have touched down near Coronation on Sunday, July 31.
ANDREA LENNON PHOTO
Forestburg area hit by hail, rain, and strong winds during severe storm-filled long weekend throughout province Tornado watches and warnings mixed with severe thunderstorm warnings Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Severe storms rocked central Alberta over the weekend, from the rockies to the Saskatchewan border. Forestburg and surrounding area dealt with some severe weather over the long weekend, with warnings and watches from Environment Canada, and damaging hail and winds causing damage to vehicles, homes, and crops. Big Valley Jamboree organizers cancelled Friday evening’s concert due to a thunderstorm that rolled through the Camrose area. Environment Canada confirmed that Friday’s storm produced wind gusts up to 81 km/hr, causing damage to tents and trailers camped at the site. Andrea Lennon caught photos of ominous clouds from her home, located about 10 minutes north of Forestburg the evening of Saturday, July 29, definitely a harbinger of things to come for the rest of the weekend. Lennon says the storm came out of nowhere, with strong winds and black clouds. On Sunday, July 31, just before 4 p.m. Environment Canada issued a tornado warning, adding to the severe thunderstorm warnings, for areas near Forest-
burg and Galahad. Just minutes later, the warning shifted east to the County of Paintearth, and social media photos of a tornado on the ground near Coronation appeared. Environment Canada has confirmed that a tornado touched down there at around 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, July 31, with a preliminary rating of EF0, with wind speeds ranging from 90 to 130 km/hr. Hail stones from pea-sized to grapefruit size were reported throughout the central region of the province. Drivers on the QEII experienced large hail that smashed windshields and damaged vehicles near Innisfail, while closer to home, Brandy Hansen shared photos of loonie-sized hailstones from her home around 10 minutes southwest of Forestburg. Flagstaff County Councillor Mat Ponto, who resides west of Forestburg, reported that he also experienced large hail from Sunday’s storm, damaging three skylights on his house, his roof, and the paint on two sides of the house. He says that besides his own vehicles, family visitors had their vehicles and travel trailers damaged in the storm. He says his 15 acres of hay got pummelled, and that neighbouring farmers’
crop also got badly hit. The are reports of 100 per cent crop damage west of Forestburg, devastating when crops were looking so good just days earlier. The severe weather warnings continued into Monday, Aug. 1, with severe thunderstorm watches and warnings, along with more tornado watches for the Forestburg and Galahad area. Environment Canada issues warnings when severe weather events are either occurring or will occur. Watches are issued for weather conditions where there is potential for a significant storm or severe weather to occur. Watches are upgraded to warnings as meteorologists become more certain about the path or strength of a storm system. Environment Canada offers the following advice for persons caught outdoors or camping during storms, lightning, strong winds, hail, or a tornado: If you are in a tent or camper, take cover in a building such as a comfort station, washroom, or community hall, or get into a hardtop vehicle -If there is no building close by, crouch down in a ditch or other lowlying area and cover your head with your arms
-In the event of a tornado, leave your car immediately as the violent wind could easily flip it over -If there is no sturdy building nearby to protect you, lie flat in a ditch, ravine or other depressed area, and protect your head with your arms -Beware of flying debris -If you are in the water or on a boat, return to shore at the first sign of bad weather and take cover -Wait for 30 minutes after the storm has passed before returning to an open area or to the water. Weather alerts are issued for anyone who has the Environment Canada weather app on their smart phones, if notifications are allowed. There is also an Alberta Emergency Alert application available for phones that will alert to an emergency not only where you live, but if activated, will alert to your location if you happen to be travelling elsewhere in the province. Canada’s Alert Ready system also works automatically on most smartphones, but many require the most upto-date operating system to receive the alerts properly. As of Tuesday, Aug. 2, the Alert Ready system reports that in 2022, 106 tornado alerts have been issued in the province of Alberta.