Storm chasers tracked tornado risk as outflow boundary swept the city
Calgary saw gusty winds Tuesday afternoon from an outflow boundary, not a tornado. Environment Canada said no tornadic activity was detected despite earlier warnings.
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A severe thunderstorm watch issued Tuesday afternoon for Calgary turned out to be a false alarm as the main severe weather moved eastward into Saskatchewan.
The city didn't experience an actual thunderstorm but rather an outflow boundary — a blast of rain-cooled air from nearby thunderstorms that passed north and northeast of Calgary, said Environment Canada operational meteorologist Eric Van Lochem. The result was gusty winds, with gusts recorded between 70 and 80 km/h at the airport as the system moved through Tuesday afternoon.
The phenomenon created wispy and chunky-looking dark clouds in areas like Lake Bonavista that sometimes appear funnel-like in nature, but Van Lochem said they were "basically harmless" with "more bark than bite."
A tornado warning issued earlier in the day appears to be a false alarm, Van Lochem said, though Environment Canada continued to monitor reports as they came in. Based on photos, traffic cameras, and observations from the city, no tornadic activity was detected.
The main thunderstorm tracked along Highway 1 into the Saskatchewan border. Environment Canada began paring back warnings and watches to the area west of Brooks, with no more weather warnings in effect in Alberta by evening.
The risk for renewed thunderstorms carries over into Wednesday, with south and southwest Calgary posing the highest risk for stronger storms. Weather is expected to remain broadly unsettled for the rest of the week with scattered showers coming in for the weekend.