A tornado that snapped tree trunks and scattered debris across roads destroyed a rural home and damaged at least four others last week in Alberta’s Mountain View County.
“The house was totally levelled,” said Cpl. Gina Slaney, media relations officer with the RCMP’s Southern Alberta District, adding there was only one minor injury due to debris.
Environment and Climate Change Canada first received an alert about a funnel cloud/tornado near Bergen southeast of Sundre about 2:32 p.m. July 7, with the tornado moving to the east. The last report was made about 3:10 p.m. near Shantz, which experienced hail as large as a toonie coin.
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Officials worked July 8 to determine the wind speed and full track length of the tornado, said Terri Lang, warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
“I think the path was a bit long and there’s quite a bit of damage to survey.”
Slaney said the worst damage occurred about 3 p.m. July 7 along Township Road 320 between Range Road 44 and 45. Debris was removed from affected roads by 9 p.m. and crews worked to restore power in the area, she added.
The tornado hit farms and rural residences in the Bergen area, said reeve Angela Aalbers of Mountain View County. Emergency crews spent several hours dealing with the aftermath of the storm, she added.
They included the Didsbury detachment of the RCMP, along with the Sundre, Olds and Cremona fire departments.
“Our own county crews were there clearing debris and trees from the road trying to make it safe.”
The tornado and related severe weather caused power outages that affected much of Mountain View County, said Aalbers.
“The storm was wreaking havoc on all of our electricity and power infrastructure throughout the county.”
It also caused overland flooding of roads near the Harmattan Gas Processing Complex, she said.
“This has been quite a year to watch the weather … and then events like last night are terrifying for our residents, so we try to provide as much support as we can.”
Lang said weather conditions in Alberta that day helped spark the tornado.
“The air mass was just right, so we had some southeasterly winds bringing in ample moisture,” she said.
“The crops are growing, and when they grow, they give off a lot of moisture.… As well, there was some heat and the winds in the upper atmosphere were just the right conditions we needed.”
The tornado was the second this year to cause damage in Alberta, she said. A tornado June 6 near Enchant northwest of Taber damaged structures including a Quonset and grain bins.
Tornadoes are common in Alberta, typically occurring from June to July before tapering off by the end of August, said Lang. A tornado in Pine Lake, Alta., killed 12 people July 14, 2000, while a tornado in Edmonton killed 27 people on July 31, 1987.
