Tornado destroys home after touching down in Alida, Sask.
Baseball-sized hail falls near small southeastern community
A home has been left in ruins after a tornado touched down in Alida, Sask., Wednesday night.
Marcia Gervais, a longtime resident of the small community in the southeast corner of the province, said she saw the funnel cloud touch down while she was out for a ride on her quad.
"We could see the white — like a big cloud — at the bottom of the funnel," she said.
The tornado passed through a farm that belonged to one of her friends, she said. After the storm had subsided somewhat, she drove out to investigate.
When she got there, the family who owned the home was in the living room taking stock of what was left. The front and the roof of the home had been ripped off.
"It was like they were standing on a big open stage," she said.
Skyler Mailhiot told CBC News she began watching the sky over Alida after receiving a tornado warning on her phone.
"I could see a tornado touching down. I could see the dirt coming up and the debris coming up about five miles north."
Mailhiot also went to inspect the damaged farmhouse, where she saw debris scattered l over the front lawn. Half of the community seemed to be there, helping clean up, she said.
"It was definitely the worst funnel cloud I've ever seen," she said. "I've never seen one touch down before."
"It looks like it's right in front of you, even though it's a few miles away."
Some people were hit by hail during the storm, she said, including one man in the nearby community of Storthoaks whose truck windshield was smashed by hail.
Baseball-sized hail was spotted near Alida, and more than 50 millimetres of rain may have fallen on the area, according to John Paul Cragg, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada. That amount of rain would have fallen in well under 30 minutes, he said.
More extreme weather to come
"The southern half of Saskatchewan is a real hotbed for thunderstorm activity through the summer months," Cragg said.
The recent heat and moisture evaporating from crops help form severe storms, he said, and the province can expect to see more extreme weather in the weeks to come.
Cragg said people should take cover even if a storm doesn't seem severe. If you can hear thunder, you can potentially be struck by lightning.
"If thunder roars, go indoors," he said.
No damage rating has been given to the tornado yet. Cragg is heading to Alida to do a damage survey.
