Alberta tornadoes hit record pace with 23 confirmed so far this year
The province is well ahead of the 30-year annual average as June, July and August bring peak tornado season across the prairies.
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Alberta is in an exceptionally busy tornado season. The province has recorded at least 23 tornadoes so far this year, according to Dave Sills, director of the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University. Across the three prairie provinces, there have been 48 tornadoes — well ahead of the 30-year annual average of 34.
June, July, and August are the most active months for tornadoes in western Canada. Despite a tornado that tore through Dillberry Lake Provincial Park earlier this week, destroying camping trailers, cabins, and trees, Sills said Alberta's tornadoes haven't been unusually severe. Tornado strengths have ranged from EF0 to EF2, which is fairly typical. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have each recorded two EF3 tornadoes — a rare occurrence midseason.
Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor attributed the surge to "a perfect concoction of ingredients." The region has had abundant moisture, daytime heating instability, strong wind shear aloft, and jet stream activity — all conditions that support rotating supercell thunderstorms and tornado formation. Proctor expects the rest of July to remain unsettled and "potentially problematic," with Alberta's tornado season typically extending into mid-August or later.
