The tornado season is approaching. (file photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Ronald Quaroni

Prairie Twister

20 confirmed tornadoes in P.A. region’s recorded history

May 23, 2019 | 12:50 PM

After a violent tornado ripped through the state of Missouri, Environment Canada is reminding residents in the P.A. region to stay safe this twister season.

“For the most part they occur in June and July. We do have some recorded in August and I think I even found one in May,” Environment Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang said.

Lang explained twisters in the area are rare, but can happen. In 77 years the region saw 20 official sightings, a number she said could be higher but due to population density a number of tornadoes may have occurred, but could not be confirmed.

“The most recent one I could find was June 26, 2012. It was 18 km south of Prince Albert,” Land told paNOW.

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“It’s much more prevalent in the southern part of the province, just because we need the right conditions to come together and often those occur much farther south.”

She added tornadoes we’ve seen in the past haven’t been particularly powerful and the storm damage inflicted can usually be attributed to a plough wind not a tornado.

“Most people are scared of tornadoes. They think of what can happen in a tornado. Plough winds can be much more damaging because they can be much more wide spread,” Lang told paNOW. “You can get a 30-kilometer wide swath going through an area that can go 100 kilometers. You don’t see that with a tornado.”

Lang noted thunderstorms usually come before tornadoes and conditions that accompany include high winds, large hail and rain. She added the public should be wary of thunderstorms as well, due to the fact that more Canadians are killed in lightning strikes than tornadoes.

If a weather watch or warning is issued, Lang encouraged people to keep their radio, TV and cellphone handy for updates and be prepared to find shelter in a basement or solid structure.

If a person is camping and an alert is issued she recommended finding a public bathroom, as the facilities could offer more protection than a tent or camper.

For people wanting to learn more about tornadoes, you can attend Lang’s public safety talk on severe weather safety tonight. The event starts at 7 p.m. at the Kerry Vickar Centre in Melfort.

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Ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni