Over 100 individuals, along with children and pets, sought shelter in the basement of a community hall for the second consecutive night as red tornado warnings flashed on their mobile devices on Saturday evening.
Chris Stewart shared with CBC News during an interview on Sunday that they were having dinner in Aquadeo, Sask., when the fire alarm sounded once again. Located 40 kilometers north of the Battlefords on Jackfish Lake, Aquadeo is a resort village.
Stewart mentioned, “Initially, a few young children were a bit anxious and scared, but everyone remained calm.”
He added, “Everyone gathered in the basement of the hall. On both occasions, there were definitely more than 100 people present.”
More than 100 individuals crowded into the basement of the community hall in Aquadeo, Sask., for the second consecutive night. They sang along with a guitar as tornado warnings continued to alert their phones.
Environment Canada reported that at least twelve communities in west-central Saskatchewan, including Turtleford, Glaslyn, Medstead, Edam, Paynton, Rabbit Lake, and Spiritwood, were under tornado warnings on Friday and Saturday due to a slow-moving system colliding with another system from Alberta.
Meteorologist Kyle Ziolkowski stated, “While it is relatively uncommon, it’s not unusual. Let’s consider it normal.”
The storms on Saturday brought 20 to 40 millimeters of rain, hail ranging from ping-pong to golf ball size near Neilburg, and wind gusts reaching 90 km/h near North Battleford. Although no tornado touchdowns were confirmed by Environment Canada on Saturday night, Friday witnessed a different scenario.
Shannon Risling recalled being at Jackfish Lake with her daughter on Friday when they observed a wall cloud forming.
Risling shared, “My daughter suggested we go chasing. I agreed, and we witnessed the entire event.”
She added, “We saw it touch down, rise back up, form again, touch down again, and stay on the ground for about four minutes.”
