It’s thunderstorm season on the Prairies, but don’t let a fear of tornadoes get you twisted.
You should also watch out for the lightning.
During the first four days in July, Alberta saw two tornadoes, two “probable” tornadoes and numerous funnel clouds, Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor said.
The province has an average of 10 tornadoes each summer, but lightning strikes more than 300,000 times each year.
“The real big producer of problems for people in the summertime … is lightning,” Proctor said.
“Each one of those lightning strikes is a potential threat to people’s lives. We tend to get a little complacent with thunderstorms. Any thunderstorm can kill anyone … just with a lightning strike. It doesn’t have to be a severe thunderstorm that can produce that.”
Stormy start to the season
July and August are the season for severe weather across the Prairies. Thunderstorms and the possibility of tornadoes aren’t unusual, Proctor said. And when they happen, they tend to happen in clusters.
Moisture in the air acts like fuel for thunderstorms, spinning them into something more sinister.
‘We tend to get a little complacent with thunderstorms. Any thunderstorm can kill anyone… just with a lightning strike.’ – Brian Proctor, meteorologist
Tornadoes happen when moisture levels build up in the atmosphere and wind speed, direction and height cause a storm to rotate.
A shelf cloud can appear below the storm, and begin spinning as it lowers toward the ground. This typically occurs during the end of a storm, Proctor said.
The spinning cloud can become a funnel cloud, and Environment Canada may issue a tornado watch. Watches are issued when conditions are favourable for worse weather or tornadoes.
Not every funnel cloud touches the ground and becomes a destructive tornado, but Proctor said it’s important to keep an eye on these weather patterns in case they do.
It’s a tornado. What do I do?
When a tornado watch is upgraded to a warning, it’s time to seek shelter.
“By seeking shelter, we’re talking about putting as many walls between you and the outside as possible,” Proctor said. “If you’re out and about, really the last place you want to be is in a car.”
Finding shelter in a basement is ideal, but this can also mean huddling under a staircase, in a closet, or going into a bathroom with no windows.
If you’re in a car, find a solid structure or get out of the car and go to a low area, like a ditch. Know that you might have to move.
“The key thing for people is to be prepared. Hopefully people are getting prepared before they ever see a funnel cloud occurring,” Proctor said.
“Keep an eye on the sky. Be aware of what’s going on.”