More turbulent weather was spotted by people in central and southern Alberta on Saturday as Environment Canada issued a weather advisory for a number of areas in the province to say that conditions were “favourable for the development of funnel clouds.”
The weather advisory was issued around 2:36 p.m. and was put in effect for areas as far north as Red Deer and stretching to the far southeast corner of Alberta. By 8:55 p.m., Environment Canada had dropped all funnel cloud-related weather advisories across Alberta.
Thalia Nelder told Global News she was driving back to Edmonton from a weekend of camping near Banff and Canmore when she stopped and photographed a funnel cloud.
“At around 2:30 p.m., we were just passing through Innisfail and there was just a wicked storm coming up and there was this huge funnel cloud that was coming out of the sky,” Nelder said. “So we were driving a bit more and then there was a second funnel cloud coming, so it was pretty crazy.”
According to Nelder, many other vehicles pulled over to look at the sky and hail had come down as well. She described the experience as somewhat “nervewracking.”
Wendy Bradbury also spotted a funnel cloud near Airdrie on Saturday.
“I saw a tornado formation that actually came down and then it would go back up and then it would go down,” Bradbury said. “It’s so calm today so it’s hard to tell which way the systems are moving and I live in Reunion, just at the very edge of Airdrie so yeah, I was kind of worried about it.”
Environment Canada said funnel clouds are created by weak rotation under quickly growing clouds or weak thunderstorms. The agency said the weak rotation is not usually a hazard near the ground but there is a chance it could intensify and become a weak landspout tornado.
READ MORE: Tornado touched down near Endiang, Alta.: Environment Canada
According to Environment Canada, if a funnel cloud develops nearby, people are asked to prepare to take shelter and to continue monitoring alerts and forecasts.
To report severe weather, send an email to storm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports to #ABStorm.
Rain, thunderstorms, hail and weather warnings have dominated the weather story for July across central and southern Alberta, including Calgary.
This is a stark change after Calgary had one of the driest first few months on record.
READ MORE: Warm and dry winter worries Alberta farmers
Rain at this time of year is not unusual. July is typically the second wettest month in Calgary, averaging 65.5 mm of precipitation, but this July has been exceptional. As of July 15, Calgary had officially recorded 103.7 mm of rain at the Calgary International Airport, where weather statistics are kept. There have only been three days this month without any rain.
The timing of this bad weather hasn’t been ideal for the Calgary Stampede. It has rained every day but one for the first eight days of the annual 10-day event, with rain expected for the final two days as well. In total there has been 90 mm of rain since the Stampede started.
One annual Stampede concert was cancelled on Friday due to the weather. Don Henley was scheduled to play at the Oxford Stomp, and promoters cited safety concerns due to rain as the reason they had to shut down the show.
A rainfall warning was put in place for regions west and north of Calgary on Friday morning in anticipation of even more rain. A low pressure system had already brought between 30-50 mm of rain into the foothills since Thursday, with an additional 40-60 mm possible over the next 24 hours. As of 11:00 am Saturday that rainfall warning remains in place.
That extra precipitation is one of the main reasons a high streamflow advisory was issued for the regions surrounding Calgary including the Elbow river. According to the Alberta government release from Friday, no major flooding is anticipated at this point, but water levels are rapidly rising. People are being encouraged to stay off of the water and be safe around riverbanks.
READ MORE: High stream flow advisories issued for south central Alberta
More instability is expected for Calgary and area for the remainder of the weekend, however by Monday temperatures should get back to seasonal with sunshine forecasted for the rest of the week.
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