Environment Canada Expands Tornado Warning Alberta Near Medicine Hat
Environment Canada issued a tornado warning alberta for a rural area near Medicine Hat on Tuesday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm moved through southeastern Alberta. By 4 p.m., the warning covered Medicine Hat, Redcliff, Canadian Forces Base Suffield, Bow Island and Seven Persons.
At 3:00 p.m., meteorologists said they were tracking a severe thunderstorm that was possibly producing a tornado. The agency said damaging winds, large hail and locally intense rainfall were also possible, and warned that wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour could affect the Lethbridge and Medicine Hat areas.
Medicine Hat and Suffield
At 3:30 p.m., the thunderstorm was just west of Suffield and moving southeast at 65 km/h. As of publishing, it was just south of Tilley and moving southeast at 40 km/h. The warning was issued through an Alberta Emergency Alert for the County of Newell near Tilley and Rolling Hills, then expanded to include Cypress County near Suffield, Bowell, Redcliff and Hwy 879.
Environment Canada said, "This is a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation." The warning came after a severe thunderstorm watch was issued Tuesday morning for much of southern Alberta, with afternoon and evening conditions described as favourable for severe storms capable of strong wind gusts, large hail, heavy rain and a chance of tornadoes.
Southern Alberta Tuesday
Environment Canada said tornado warnings are issued when a thunderstorm is producing or is likely to produce a tornado. Alberta had seen at least 10 tornadoes this year so far, and the Northern Tornado Project and Environment Canada said all of them were landspouts, not supercell twisters, with no damage reported.
For people in the warning area, the immediate concern is the storm's track, not the forecast headline. Communities along the path had already shifted from watch status to a warning, and the updated alert extended the affected area farther across southeastern Alberta as the storm continued southeast.
