A tornado after all: Environment Canada certifies ‘F2’ finding

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on July 26, 2022.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

It was, in fact, a tornado that destroyed homes in Cypress County and skirted by more populated areas in the region on July 18, and then was followed by a secondary storm burst over Redcliff.

Environment Canada in conjunction with weather researchers at the University of Western Ontario certified the finding on the weekend, confirming local reports of funnel clouds southwest of Medicine Hat one week ago.

The report states that the tornado, considered an “F2” on a severity scale of 1 to 5 touched down at 1:10 p.m. local time, then dissipated before the same system created a storm burst over the Town of Redcliff.

At its worst, winds reached 190 km/h as the tornado tracked a 300-metre wide swath for nearly eight kilometres moving southwest to northeast

It touched the ground at the intersection of Township Road 123 and Range Road 74, and followed a general path of destruction mapped out and released by Cypress County emergency officials last week.

It was coupled with “notable hail” and caused damage comparable to an F1 tornado in Redcliff with 150 km/h winds over a six kilometre, 600-metre wide path, causing structure and tree damage along the way.

Recovery continues

Cypress County announced Monday it would keep waste bins in the area of Highway 523 for the coming week to aid property owners in cleanup efforts, while lingering tree damage knocked out more power Monday.

The City of Medicine Hat utility division announced that connection was down to 12 properties south of the Crowsnest line of the Canadian Pacific rail system after damaged trees gave way and landed on lines Monday. Reconnection was expected late Monday.

The city also issued a statement of thanks to other utility companies and private contractors for helping reconnect power customers in the region last week. The few remaining customers affected by the initial storm were back online on Saturday evening.

“To experience such impactful support on such a large scale is beyond moving,” said Mayor Linnsie Clark, in the statement on behalf of city council.

Supplying trucks and boom or hydrovac service were Niwa Crane, C&K Trucking, Hydrodig, LMT Crane, Ronco Oilfield Hauling.

Utility sector companies lending support were the City of Lethbridge line shop, Atco, Fortis Alberta, and Nixon Projects.

Numerous suppliers are listed in a press release, as are food suppliers that provided meals for more than 100 workers comprising the city line shop and other crews.

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