Canadian Prairie Storms

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Basic Tornado Survival Tips

Please take some time and review the following list in case you happen to live in the path of a deadly tornado:

During a Tornado Watch

1. Gather any loose items from your yard and secure them to prevent flying projectiles.
2. Plan your day accordingly to always have an escape route. Do not go to the movies!
3. Stay off the highways, do not EVER stop under an underpass (wind speeds increase and the death toll is always highest in the underpasses)
4. Make sure you have candles, food and bottled water for at least a day or two.
5. Charge your cell phone or run a land line into your shelter.

During a Tornado Warning

1. Close all windows in your house. (leaving one window open a crack to relieve air pressure changes)
2. Gather every person you can into your safe area (bunker/bomb shelter/basement).
3. If you don't have a basement, take your supplies to the inner most room, be it a bathroom or closet.
4. Cover your head with a pillow or wear a helmet.

These are my own personal suggestions. For more information on how to stay safe, please visit the following links for more detailed ideas and advice from people who have been through it as I have:

Tornado Precautions - Chuck Doswell
Tornado Safety Tips - State Farm Insurance
Tornado Safety - Storm Prediction Center
Tornado Safety Tips - News9 Oklahoma
Tornado Safety - Environment Canada
How To Survive A Tornado - The Old Farmers Almanac
How To Survive A Tornado - WikiHow

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Extreme Weather Event - Large Strong Tornadoes Thursday Evening

Words can not properly describe what has yet to happen so I will simply post some map outlooks and forecast model screen captures to paint the picture of what is to come over the next few days. Keep in mind this extreme weather event really only begins late Wednesday night and continues until at least Sunday for much of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

GFS - EHI Index Valid 6pm Thursday

GFS - Supercell Composite Valid 6pm Thursday

NAM - Significant Tornado Parameter - Valid 6pm Thursday

NAM - Significant Tornado Parameter - Valid 9pm Thursday

All of this is very interesting but lets wait until Environment Canada issues official watches and warnings. When they do, please take extra precautions and stay safe!

Updates will continue here until the power goes out.

Monday, July 08, 2013

This Week's Outlook

The next two days will be relatively quiet for storms across most of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. After the sun goes down on Wednesday night, everything will begin to change. Hot humid air will take over from the fairly cool weather of the past few days. Storms will erupt in north central Alberta, well east of the foothills and quickly take hold in southern Saskatchewan overnight and into Thursday morning. This will set up a string of several days with great potential for widespread supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes. The main risk areas will be the corridor from Lloydminster to North Battleford, through Saskatoon, Regina and Yorkton with the most significant potential in the Estevan/Brandon/Yorkton triangle of south east Saskatchewan/south west Manitoba. Stay tuned for updates as forecast models often shift and the situation can increase or lessen as the days progress.