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Severe thunderstorms brought at least one confirmed tornado and hail as large as golf balls to eastern parts of Saskatchewan on Sunday.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the confirmed tornado was observed near Pelly, northeast of Yorkton, shortly after 6 p.m. The weather service said it received multiple reports of the tornado, through its storm reports and over social media.
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“ECCC is collaborating with the Northern Tornadoes Project as they investigate further,” the weather service said in a statement.
“Once a preliminary assessment has been completed, we will provide more information.”
Video shared to social media showed fallen trees in Pelly, one of which blocked a local road, along with damaged roofs and scattered debris.
Another tornado was reported near Stornoway, south of Pelly, at around 2:17 p.m. on Sunday, but Environment Canada said there is “insufficient evidence to confirm a tornado occurred.” Once again, the weather service said it is working with the researchers at the Northern Tornadoes Project on an assessment.
Janelle Gergely, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the Northern Tornadoes Project is deploying a team to investigate the reports.
“They’re sending our team today to investigate the damage and determine how strong of a tornado it was, and then they’ll dig into the other one that they have just said is possible at this time and see if there is damage or any evidence to suggest that it for sure was a tornado,” Gergely said.
Meanwhile, the storms also brought large hail to several parts of the province on Sunday.
Environment Canada said hail 24 millimetres across – roughly the size of quarters – was reported in areas near Burgis Beach, on the eastern shore of Good Spirit Lake, at around 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Hail 45 mm across – about the size of golf balls – was reported near North Portal, located along the U.S. border, at 5 p.m.
Regina sees heaviest rainfall over stormy weekend
It appears Regina got hit the hardest by rain over the weekend, turning streets into rivers in parts of the city on Saturday.
Gergely said 60 mm of rain fell on Saturday in Regina, followed by around 20 mm of rain on Sunday.
However, some rain gauges in the Queen City showed over 4.5 inches, or 114 mm of rain fell in that same period.
“The average for June for Regina looks like it would be between 70 and 80 millimetres, so to think you had 80 mm between two days, I’m sure you’re well above average for the city of Regina,” Gergely said.
Saskatoon, meanwhile, saw nearly 40 mm of rain on Saturday, followed by a couple more millimetres of rain on Sunday.
Unsettled weather continues across much of Saskatchewan
Gergely said the unsettled weather is expected to stick around for much of this week, with a chance of showers in many parts of the province.
“Particularly today and tomorrow, but even after that we’re not really in this ridge of high pressure that brings us sunny conditions and clear skies,” the meteorologist noted. “We remain in that unsettled pattern, so it is possible to get a light shower through, really, much of the week.”
Gergely said the southwestern corner of the province is the area most likely to see severe storms on Monday, with more funnel clouds possible in areas around Saskatoon and parts of western Saskatchewan.
