Thunderstorms with a tornado risk and large hail target Alberta today
Some severe weather may be popping up in parts of Alberta today, with large hail and the chance of a tornado with the thunderstorms.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), thunderstorm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Centre indicate that smoke and very poor air quality continue at times for portions of Alberta, particularly in the northwest regions.
Things aren’t set to improve much in that area due to a low staying away and little rain expected in the short term.
As for the more active weather threat, forecasters say that areas north of the low are expected to get 20 to 40 millimetres by Saturday evening. Some regions west of the Edmonton metro could see even more.
“South of the rain area, thunderstorms will be the story,” ECCC noted, with east-central regions of Alberta set to see supercell thunderstorms with hail and strong wind gusts.
“A surface trough will sit roughly along the QEII by the afternoon as the upper lows begin to stack northwest of Edmonton. The warm front will be roughly along and just south of the Yellowhead Highway east of Edmonton.”
The setup that forecasters currently see for that area will be favourable for funnel cloud development near the surface trough, and a tornado can’t be ruled out. The highest risk will be along the warm front if conditions align as forecast.
The moderate weather threat stretches from the Edmonton metro region, including Red Deer, all the way down to Medicine Hat, near the U.S. border, with the risk of 90 to 100 km/h wind gusts, hail the size of ping-pong balls, and 25 millimetres of rain.
The capital region is also outlined with the chance of funnel cloud development, and an area to the southeast of YEG is where the risk of a tornado is present.
Other parts of the province, including Calgary, Edson, Lethbridge, Jasper, and Banff, are under a minor weather threat with 70 km/h wind gusts and the risk of small hail.
ECCC Storm Prediction Centre Edmonton
The outlook also noted that tomorrow will see more thunderstorms sprout across central Alberta; however, there will be less instability and lower shear, with the tornado threat much lower, if not eliminated.
Turning to the seven-day forecast for Edmonton and Calgary, it’s shaping up to be a moderately wet one, with several days expected to have a chance of showers.
Edmonton
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Calgary
Environment and Climate Change Canada