ELGIN, Man. – Wicked weather added insult to injury at a farm here last week.
Rick Pettinger was struggling this spring to get his crop seeded because of too much moisture. The weather dealt him another blow June 8, when a tornado tore through his farmyard, uprooting trees and lifting the roof off his machine shed.
“The yard looks like a disaster area,” said Pettinger, describing the clutter of damaged trees at his farm. “We had a lot of chainsaws running here” to clear the mess.
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For southern Manitoba, this may be remembered as one of the most sinister springs ever. The region has felt the fury of twisters, hail and torrents of rain, sometimes all at once.
Perhaps the worst of the wild weather came June 6, when rain, hail and at least five tornadoes were reported.
Among the areas hardest hit by the storm was Piney, a small community in the province’s southeastern corner.
A tornado touched down east of Piney on the afternoon of June 6. It uprooted trees and toppled small outbuildings while carving a zigzag path through the area.
Betty Thompson, the community’s postmistress, saw two funnels dipping down from the darkened skies. They were traveling in tandem, she said, but only one touched the ground.
No one was injured, although the larger of the two tornadoes passed through a farmyard a few kilometres from town.
“When it touched down, there was mud flying from the fields,” Thompson said. “It was big enough that it scares you.”
Hail damage
The tornadoes were followed by torrents of rain and hail. The jagged hail, which sometimes reached the size of baseballs, dented vehicles and smashed windows. It was accompanied by up to 50 millimetres of rain.
Hail damage to local crops was expected to be minimal. Farmers in the area had to reseed this spring due to saturated fields.
“It’s just like walking on a sponge out in the yard,” said Thompson, when interviewed the day after the storm.
Environment Canada also had reports of a tornado touching down south of Winkler, Man., on June 6, said climatologist John Parker. And a funnel was reported near Plum Coulee, Man., the same day, but it didn’t touch the ground.
Farther west, residents witnessed a tornado up to 400 metres wide prowling across fields near Pilot Mound. The tornado, which lasted about 45 minutes, also struck on the afternoon of June 6.
Doug Collins, who farms just west of Pilot Mound, noted a strange yellowish-green tinge in the sky during the tornado.
“It didn’t look as big until it hit the ground,” said Collins, describing the twister. “As soon as it hit the ground, it was just dirt and debris everywhere.”
Collins and his family sought refuge in their basement during part of the storm. Collins was counting his blessings when interviewed June 7. His parents’ farmyard was in the path of the tornado, but the tornado lifted before it struck the buildings.
The storm that hit the Pilot Mound area was accompanied by rain and hailstones the size of marbles. Collins heard reports that a tornado also touched down at Rock Lake, a popular fishing spot west of Pilot Mound.
Several other communities across southern Manitoba were hit by hail on June 6. There were reports of tornadoes in North Dakota the same day.
Southern Manitoba usually sees about nine tornadoes each year. June and July are the peak months.
Despite the severity of the June 6 storm, Mark Gerlyand said there is no hint that southern Manitoba is becoming a tornado alley.
“It’s not extraordinary,” said the Environment Canada severe weather meteorologist. “It’s normal.”
