REGINA - The first tornado of the season in Canada touched down Saturday night south of Regina.
The Northern Tornado Project based out of the University of Western Ontario announced in a Twitter post that a tornado hit as part of the storm system that moved through southern Saskatchewan on Saturday night after 8 pm.
“The 1st recorded Canadian tornado of 2023 occurred yesterday SE of Regina, SK. Photos/video provided sufficient evidence to confirm. The tornado damaged a farm near Rowatt. An NTP team will conduct a damage survey tomorrow. Other damage reports can be sent to ntp@uwo.ca. #skstorm”
There were several reports and screenshots on Twitter of a funnel cloud seen southeast of Regina on Saturday night. There is no indication the tornado hit inside the city limits.
Storm chaser Craig Boehm posted photos of a damage scene at one farm with the owner’s permission, where the roof of a storage building was shown blown right off. The damage from the roof was shown scattered over a nearby field. However, no injuries are reported
Environment Canada has also confirmed the tornado touchdown, reporting it took place at 8:55 pm Central time. The tornado is rated an EF-0, the lowest rating, with no reports of any other major damage.
While weather warnings did go out about the storm conditions, there was some controversy as the Bethune weather radar was down when the severe weather hit -- something that did not go unnoticed by weather watchers on social media.
Tornado season in Canada usually begins around May and continues for the rest of the summer, with southern Saskatchewan and the prairies usually a prime target.
The storm system on Saturday night also produced hail as well as what was described as “torrential rain” within the city of Regina. Some areas of Regina saw flash flooding, including the College Ave. and Winnipeg St. intersection. A number of posts on Twitter showed water flooding through that intersection Saturday night.
