So far this year, 17 tornadoes have touched down in Saskatchewan, according to a Western University-based tornado tracking project — 10 of which hit the province in a single day.
The tornadoes have all been reported in south and central parts of the province, with the majority recorded in the areas between Estevan and Saskatoon, according to the Northern Tornadoes Project, a research project based at the London, Ont., university that tracks tornado activity across Canada.
David Sills, the director of the Northern Tornadoes Project, said 12 of those tornadoes touched down during a three-day span, from June 19-21. Of those, 10 were confirmed on June 19, and two from June 21.
Those came after two tornadoes touched down near Cut Knife on June 2, and were followed by another tornado on June 29 near Stockholm, in eastern Saskatchewan.
Two of the June 19 tornadoes were rated EF-2 on the enhanced Fujita scale, and three others were rated EF-1.
“These are strong tornadoes that are capable of ripping a rooftop, a home,” said Sills.
WATCH | Witness says tornado touched down near Balgonie on June 19:
Harrison Webster shared this video with CBC News and said he saw a tornado touch down near Balgonie, east of Regina, Thursday afternoon. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued several tornado warnings for parts of Saskatchewan late afternoon on June 19.
The others were rated EF-0, which indicates sustained wind of 105 to 137 km/h, and a tornado capable of causing light damage, like snapping or uprooting trees.
On average, from 2017 to 2024, Saskatchewan has seen about 14 tornadoes a year, according to the tornado projects data, but the number can range widely. There were 26 reported tornadoes in Saskatchewan in 2022, but only one in 2023. Last year, there were 19.
So far this year, Saskatchewan has seen more tornadoes than the 13 reported in the rest of the country combined, according to the project’s data. There have been four each in Alberta and Quebec, two each in Manitoba and Ontario, and one in B.C. this year, according to the tracking project.
“It feels like this is Saskatchewan kind of reasserting itself and saying, ‘yeah, tornadoes do happen here, and sometimes they’re the big ones,'” Sills said.
There have been no fatalities associated with any confirmed tornadoes in Canada so far this year, Sills said.
Although it’s not uncommon to see multiple tornadoes in one day, Sills said the number in Saskatchewan on June 19 was the biggest tornado outbreak he’s seen since starting the Northern Tornadoes Project in 2017.
The June 19 tornadoes included an EF-1 in the Blackstrap Lake area, south of Saskatoon, and an EF-0 in Young, southwest of Saskatoon.
The others were in the province’s southeast:
- Two in Frobisher (including an EF-2).
- Two in Kronau (including an EF-2).
- An EF-1 in South Touchwood.
- An EF-1 in Hubbard.
- One in Vibank.
- One in Hirsch.
Sills said it was a stroke of luck that one of the homes hit by a tornado had special bracing in place.
“That actually prevented the roof from coming up. It’s good to see that some folks are taking those kinds of precautions,” he said.
Although there’s no exact meteorological reason why Saskatchewan has received this many tornadoes, periods of extreme heat have played a factor, said Sills.
“That’s based on timing of frontal systems as they move across and whether that timing coincides with the peak heating for the day, where that peak heating occurs. So it’s just a matter of some coincidence.”
Hubbard twister tore trees out
Kayla Chamberlin and her partner, Shawn Hanofski, said they saw a tornado touch down in the yard of their rural home near Hubbard, Sask., about 115 kilometres northeast of Regina, on June 19.
Hanofski said he couldn’t believe their house was still standing after the tornado passed through.
Chamberlain was shocked too.
“You could hear things being smacked up against the house,” she said.
Their home suffered slight damage, like shingles being ripped off their roof. But the couple said the real damage was to farm equipment and to the land, with entire trees being ripped out of the ground.
Sills said June and July are typically peak tornado season and that things should calm down into next month.
“The numbers actually start to decline typically as we get into August, and then come the fall, it pretty much shuts down on the prairies. Hopefully we’ve seen the peak and we’ll tail off now.”
