Tiffany Lizee tracks 135 km/h gusts in Ralston — Saskatoon Weather
saskatoon weather turned severe across southern Alberta on Tuesday afternoon as a fast-moving storm brought heavy rain, hail and wind gusts above 100 km/h in several communities. Tiffany Lizee, Global Calgary’s chief meteorologist, said the city saw damage and called it “Wow, was it gusty.”
The strongest gust in the province reached 135 km/hr in Ralston, while Rolling Hills hit 131 km/hr. Medicine Hat recorded a peak gust of 122 km/h just after 4 o’clock as the severe thunderstorm rolled through, and an Alberta Emergency Alert for a possible tornado was issued around 3 p.m. for the Rolling Hills area.
Ralston and Rolling Hills
Lizee said the Medicine Hat storm produced “The peak wind gusts (Tuesday afternoon) were 74 km/h, Lethbridge also had nearly 70 km/h wind gusts, Brooks the same, but Medicine Hat, as that severe thunderstorm rolled through just after 4 o’clock, they recorded a peak wind gust of 122 km/h. Just a nasty storm,” and described the damage around the city. The winds put Ralston and Rolling Hills at the top of the provincial numbers, with Ralston reaching 135 km/hr and Rolling Hills 131 km/hr.
The tornado warning later expanded to include the County of Newell and Cypress County, including Suffield, Redcliff and Medicine Hat. Environment Canada said it received reports of two tornadoes, but there was insufficient evidence to confirm any tornadoes occurred.
Calgary and Gleichen damage
In Calgary, Lake Bonavista and Bonavista Downs were hit by a downburst that toppled trees and ripped off branches. Lizee explained that “A downburst happens when cool air from a thunderstorm rushes down to the ground and then spreads out in all directions, causing a sudden burst of strong winds,” and said storm damage is judged partly by whether debris and fallen trees point in one direction or are scattered.
In Gleichen, the roof of the hamlet’s old courthouse was ripped apart and the community’s hotel was damaged. Many homeowners and local communities across southern Alberta were left with cleanup after the storm moved through, with reports of golf-ball-sized hail about 4.5 centimetres in diameter adding to the damage.
Environment Canada reports
Environment Canada said reports of two tornadoes would be investigated further by the Northern Tornadoes Project. Its damage assessment will depend on the direction of debris and fallen trees, since Lizee said scattered damage can point to a tornado while aligned damage is more likely from a downburst.
For people in the affected communities, the immediate job is cleanup and checking roofs, trees and outbuildings for damage after the afternoon storm. The strongest winds were tied to one fast-moving system, but the reported tornadoes were still not established, leaving the damage survey to sort out what the storm actually produced.
