Possible tornado risk in forecast

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This article was published 02/08/2022 (1301 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Southern Manitoba is likely to receive thunderstorms today, with some areas at risk of large hail and tornadoes, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

In a post to the organization’s Twitter account covering weather in Manitoba, the organization showed a map of the Prairies that indicates a moderate risk of rain for southern Manitoba with isolated thunderstorms and hail of two to four inches in diameter.

However, a circular area extending from near the U.S.-Canada border north to the southern end of Lake Winnipeg and from east of Brandon near Neepawa and Carberry to east of Winnipeg could get wind of up to 120 kilometres an hour, hail between five and seven centimetres in diameter and the potential for tornadoes to form.

The area at risk of receiving moderate storms extends west into Saskatchewan, just touching Yorkton but stopping short of Regina. The rest of southern Saskatchewan and parts of southern and central Alberta are at minor risk of isolated storms, while an area stretching north from Medicine Hat, barely touching Calgary and extending past Edmonton is at moderate risk.

“The further east you go, the higher risk of the storm becoming more severe,” Danielle Desjardins, a meteorologist from Environment Canada, said by phone on Monday.

She added that a tornado is not guaranteed to happen, but becomes more likely when severe storms occur.

“The reason why we have this high risk [forecasted] is they’re likely to become severe,” she said of today’s weather.

To keep safe, she recommends that people stay in touch with Environment Canada’s weather alerts, either though the WeatherCAN smartphone app, the organization’s website or its social media accounts.

For Brandon itself, Environment Canada has forecast a 30 per cent chance of rain for this afternoon and a 60 per cent chance of showers in the evening as of Monday afternoon.

According to Desjardins, the rain won’t be widespread, but could be heavy where thunderstorms develop.

Should a thunderstorm develop, she recommends that people seek shelter. If in a house, the basement is the best place to take shelter.

Despite a misconception that hiding under bridges is a good place to hide if a tornado occurs, Desjardins said that taking shelter in a ditch is safer.

If anyone sees what they think is a tornado, they can reach out to Environment Canada to report it or mention it on Twitter using the “#mbstorm” hashtag.

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