Canada’s national weather service has confirmed a tornado touched down near the community of Pelly, Sask. on Sunday. In an update issued Monday morning, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed the tornado, which reportedly touched down at around 6:10 p.m. near the village located around 290 kilometres northeast of Regina. Photos and videos posted to social media seemingly captured the tornado and the damage left in its wake - which included shattered trees and power lines. “A tornado watch did go out for the area around noon. So we did know that the area was favorable for tornado genesis, and there was structural damage, damage to trees, damage to power lines,” said Janelle Gergely, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. Additionally, a possible tornado was reported at 2:17 p.m. near Stornoway, which is situated around 75 kilometres south of Pelly. Currently, there is not enough evidence to determine if a tornado occurred in that instance. The weather service is collaborating with the Northern Tornadoes Project as it investigates both incidents. Regina rain Much of southern Saskatchewan was slammed by torrential downpours along with severe winds and hail over the weekend. “The water was up to my waist at points,” north Regina resident Liam Cruickshank told CTV News on Monday. “We had one kid try to come through and totaled his car. I helped push it out down the street and as soon as he opened his door, and you couldn’t see his pedals, there was so much floodwater in there.” Cruickshank says his street saw large volumes of rain. “There’s one house down there where it’s getting into their windowsill, so it’s getting all in the basement,” he said. Cruickshank added that recently placed fences were also getting blown out. According to ECCC, 24 millimetre (mm), or quarter sized hail was reported in Burgis Beach on Good Spirit Lake and 45 mm or golf ball sized hail was reported near North Portal Sunday evening.
