A tornado was confirmed near the village of Beiseker on May 31 (Photo courtesy Greg Stamp on Twitter @stampgreg)

By Justin Goulet

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Twister: how to stay safe during tornado season

Jun 4, 2020 | 11:37 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – With the spring weather comes the threat of tornadoes in Alberta.

Over the last week, the province saw its first two confirmed twisters of the season.

One was reported near the hamlet of Mossleigh the morning of May 27, while another was spotted near the village of Beiseker on Sunday, May 31.

“There was some fairly minor damage with the Beiseker one [and] no damage was reported with the Mossleigh one, so it’s been fairly difficult for us to give them any other rating that EF0 [zero] at this point,” said Blaine Lowry, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.

EF0 is in reference to the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the six-point system used to measure the strength of tornadoes.

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“EF0 [is] the lowest end [of the scale], so you have winds in excess of 90 kilometres per hour with those,” Lowry explained, noting twisters with an EF0 rating can see winds from about 90 kilometres an hour to 130-135 kilometres an hour.

TORNADOES IN THE PRAIRIES

Lowry says that for the whole province, the average number of tornadoes per year is around 12.

“If you take a running period from 1986 to 2015, the 30-year average in that range is 12 tornadoes per year in the province,” he said.

“Of course, on any given year, you could have wild variations in the number. For instance, in each of the last two years that’s [been the] case in point; we had only four reported in the province in 2018 but then last year we had 23. But the average is 12 for a given year in Alberta.”

PROVINCIAL HOT SPOTS?

Lowry couldn’t say if there are any specific areas in Alberta where tornadoes can make their presence felt. He did say, however, that a hot spot for thunderstorm activity is off the central Foothills.

“So, if you take the corridor from Calgary to Edmonton, storms often develop west of Highway 2 in the Foothills and then move off to the east,” he said.

“We have lightning data statistics that indicate that that’s where we see a high degree of thunderstorm activity in any given year. It’s actually a little bit less than that [in the] area further south in Alberta; south of Calgary in the Lethbridge to Medicine Hat area.”

SAFETY TIPS – AT HOME

One may wonder what to do if they spot a tornado in the distance while they’re at home.

Lowry said if it’s moving from side-to-side, from left to right, it’s “likely moving across and not toward you”.

“If you don’t really see it moving and it’s getting bigger as it comes toward you, then that’s an indication that it’s moving toward you. If it’s moving toward you, you want to get down into a basement if you have one, and if you don’t, you’ll want to get into an interior room – so just a room with no windows and preferably no exterior walls.”

SAFETY TIPS – ON THE ROAD

If you find yourself on the highway and see a tornado, Lowry suggests finding a low-lying area.

“If you’re on the highway, you might want to get down into a ditch,” he said.

Some may think it’s a good idea to head under an overpass, but that’s not ideal, according to Lowry.

“That’s a common place that people look to get [to] – they feel it’s safer but it’s actually not,” he said.

“The wind speeds can actually accelerate underneath the overpass and you might be more susceptible there, but then you have to be mindful [that] once the immediate tornado threat has passed, you may want to get up out of that low-lying area [like a ditch], as flooding can become a concern.”

SAFETY TIPS – OUT ON THE LINKS

The spring season has so far proven to be a popular time for golf courses, as the province slowly reopens in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lowry said if you’re out on the links and spot a twister, much like on the highway, it’s suggested to seek shelter in a low-lying area.

“If you’re within running distance of the clubhouse, perhaps you can get in there and then follow the instructions of getting to an interior room, but I wouldn’t be taking the golf cart and racing across the golf course to try and do that,” he said, reiterating that if you are far out on the course, away from the clubhouse, the best idea is to find a low-lying area to ride out the tornado.

STAYING UP TO DATE

Lowry encourages Albertans to stay up to date on weather events as much as possible.

Residents can use Environment Canada’s WeatherCAN app to receive significant weather alerts, wherever they are in Canada.

Lowry said a weather radio is also an option to stay informed, as well as regularly visiting the public weather alerts section of Environment Canada’s website.

(Lethbridge News Now)