Stormy weather hits Edmonton: Funnel cloud sighted, condo building hit by lightning
In the southwest Rutherford neighborhood, an apartment building was hit by a lightning strike on Sunday, causing a fire that was later extinguished by crews. The incident was followed by a series of weather events across the province, including the confirmation of multiple funnel clouds.
The severe thunderstorms in eastern Alberta led to the development of funnel clouds around Hardisty and nearby Edmonton. Environment Canada issued special weather statements, advising residents to take any funnel cloud sightings seriously and to prepare to take shelter due to their sudden appearance and potential danger.
According to Eric Van Lochem, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, slow-moving thunderstorms can lead to funnel clouds that sometimes touch down, resulting in weak and brief tornadoes. A landspout tornado was indeed confirmed in the Hardisty area on Sunday.
Landspout tornadoes are a type of tornado generally characterized by their non-supercell origin, often appearing as narrow, rope-like funnels that form from the ground upward to a cloud base rather than the typical downward funnel from a mesocyclone. They are typically weaker and shorter-lived than supercell tornadoes but can still cause damage and pose safety risks.
The tornado near Hardisty demonstrated the classic characteristics of sudden appearance, short duration, and the advisory for immediate safety precautions. Bits of plastic siding and charred wood were found on the ground where the lightning struck, indicating the tornado's passage.
Environment Canada is still assessing the strength of the tornado in the Hardisty area. On Monday, the Northern Tornado Project confirmed a tornado occurred near Hardisty on Aug 3. The tornado was assigned an EF0 rating, indicating it caused light damage.
It's worth noting that funnel clouds and landspout tornadoes were experienced across most of Alberta on Sunday. Lightning was a factor in Sunday's weather, with many strikes reported across the province due to the widespread storms. Heavy rainfall of up to 100mm was experienced across most of Alberta as well.
However, there were no updates provided about the Dubai brand chocolate recall, wildfire concerns in Nova Scotia, the B.C. evening weather forecast, or the relief from wildfire smoke in Canada. The thunderstorms on Sunday moved slowly towards the northwest, which is atypical for Alberta where storms usually form in the mountain foothills and move east across the Prairies.
Alexander Yakavenka, a resident in the area, witnessed the lightning strike and described it as "great" and "unbelievable." His account underscores the awe-inspiring yet potentially dangerous nature of such weather events.
In light of the weather events across Alberta, Environment Canada has been actively monitoring and predicting severe weather-forecasting, especially tornadoes like the one confirmed near Hardisty. Residents are advised to take these weather warnings seriously, given the sudden and dangerous nature of funnel clouds and landspout tornadoes experienced throughout the province.
