Environment Canada confirms that Saskatchewan’s 4th tornado of 2016 happened west of Saskatoon for about 5 minutes on Canada Day.
“It does seem realistic that there was a tornado, it seems like a reliable report and a decent picture of it,” said Environment Canada meteorologist David Baggaley, referring to the image below.
“It looks like it was on the ground for about 5 minutes around 4 p.m.”
Baggaley adds that there have been no reports of damage in the remote region where they believe the twister touched down, northwest of Biggar, Sask.
READ MORE: What to do when a tornado touches down in Saskatchewan
There were other reports of funnel clouds developing south and west of Saskatoon in the Biggar area through the afternoon as well.
Environment Canada tells Global News that no tornado warning was issued for the storm that they believe produced the tornado, but a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch were put in place after funnel cloud photos surfaced on social media.
READ MORE: Environment Canada admits to differing standards of weather coverage
The tornado risk diminished Friday evening with Environment Canada ending all tornado watches at 7:14 p.m.
Officials say to take cover immediately when threatening weather approaches.
READ MORE: SaskAlert app will keep people in Saskatchewan informed of emergencies
Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads while hail can damage property and cause injury.
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