SASKATCHEWAN — Following an investigation by Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) damage survey teams, five more tornadoes and one downburst have been confirmed from the July 10 storms that swept through northern and central Saskatchewan.
According to a post on the NTP Facebook page, tornadoes at Speers, Redberry Lake and Petrofka-Waldheim were rated EF1, while the downburst at Rosthern is rated EF0.
In a separate post, the NTP said it had confirmed two more tornadoes in Saskatchewan on July 10. Both tornadoes, one at Prud'Homme and another at Plunkett, had damage rated at EF0.
Additional event reports for the July 10/11 period are in the process of being finalized, the NTP said.
The Speers tornado caused damage to trees and buildings in the community after a storm passed through the area, the NTP said. An NTP ground and drone survey was completed July 11-12, documenting the reported damage along with damage to several farm properties south and east of the community.
The tornado had an estimated maximum wind speed of 150 kilometres per hour, the NTP said, along with a track length of 7.98 kilometres and maximum path width of 1.08 kilometres. Tornado motion was from the west, approximately 265 degrees.
The EF1 Redberry Lake tornado caused damage to trees, the NTP said, as well as a home and garage at a residential property east of the community after a storm passed through the area.
An NTP ground and drone survey was completed on July 13, documenting the reported damage and additional tree damage. Damage was assessed as an EF1 tornado, with an estimated maximum wind speed of 150 kilometres per hour, a track length of 6.03 kilometres and maximum path width of 760 metres. Tornado motion was from the west-southwest (approximately 240 degrees).
For the Petrofka-Waldheim tornado, the NTP said witnesses captured video and photos of a tornado that developed south of Petrofka and tracked eastward to Waldheim. Damage to residential and business properties, power poles, trees and vehicles was reported.
An NTP ground and drone survey was completed July 12-13, documenting the reported damage and additional damage along the path. Damage was assessed as an EF1 tornado, with an estimated maximum wind speed of 175 kilometres per hour, the track length was 24.6 kilometres and and maximum path width was 950 metres.
The tornado motion was from the west (approximately 280 degrees). Satellite imagery review is pending.
The downburst damage was to trees and several structures in and around Rosthern, the NTP said, after a storm passed through the area. An NTP ground and drone survey was completed on July 14, documenting the reported damage.
Damage was assessed as EF0, with an estimated maximum wind speed of 130 kilometres per hour, with intermittent damage found over an area approximately 7.3 kiloemtres long and up to 6.4 kilometres wide.
For the Prud’Homme tornado, witnesses captured video and photos of a twister northwest of the community. An NTP ground and drone survey was completed on July 14, documenting some damage to fencing. The damage was assessed as an EF0 tornado, with an estimated maximum wind speed of 90 kilometres per hour, a track length of 1.79 kilometres and maximum path width of 50 metres. The tornado motion was from the southwest (approximately 235 degrees).
The start time was based on a witness report.
As for the Plunkett twister, witnesses captured video of a tornado south of the community. An NTP ground and drone survey was completed on July 14, discovering a path of tree damage and damage to a farm property.
According to the NTP, the tornado had an estimated maximum wind speed of 115 kilometres per hour, track length of 2.16 kilometres and a maximum path width of 250 metres. Tornado motion was from the southwest, approximately 225 degrees. The start time is also based on a witness report. Satellite imagery review is pending.
