Late Sunday afternoon, Environment Canada dropped a weather advisory for Alberta’s Capital Region that had warned “conditions will be favourable for the development of funnel clouds today.”
The advisory was issued at about 1:30 p.m. and was put into effect for Edmonton, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Vegreville, Redwater, Smoky Lake, Leduc, Camrose, Wetaskiwin, Tofield, Lloydminster, Wainwright, Vermilion and Provost. By 5:40 p.m. it was dropped.
According to the agency, funnel clouds are caused by weak rotation under quickly growing clouds or weak thunderstorms. Environment Canada said while the weak rotation is not usually a hazard near the ground, there was the possibility of the rotation intensifying and turning into a weak landspout tornado.
Although landspout tornadoes don’t normally cause serious damage, Environment Canada says they can still be dangerous and if strong enough, are able to knock over trees, cause damage to roofs and toss debris.
“These advisories are due to the potential of rotation in the mid to upper levels due to a stacked low,” Global Edmonton’s chief meteorologist Jesse Beyer said. “With cold core funnels, you have the potential for rotating air to stretch and increase its speed, producing a funnel. These can – but rarely – reach the surface. If they do reach the ground, they can still cause damage or injury. These are not funnel clouds or tornadoes from supercell storms, that are much stronger and dangerous.”
READ MORE: Alberta sees 5 tornadoes in 4 days: Environment Canada
If you want to report severe weather to Environment and Climate Change Canada, you can call 1.800.239.0484 or email storm@ec.gc.ca.
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