Pine Lake, Alberta Tornado

The Pine Lake, Alberta Tornado was a deadly tornado in central Alberta on July 14, 2000 that struck a campground and trailer park. Twelve people were killed, making it the first killer tornado in Canada since 1994 when a doctor was killed by an F2 tornado in Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. [ cite news|author=Leger, Marie-France|title = La tornade qui a frappé St-Charles a fait un mort, le Dr Laurent Claveau (St-Charles Tornado kills local doctor)|publisher = La Presse|date = July 11, 1994|page = A1]

Summary

On July 14, 2000 at approximately 7:00 PM an F3 tornado tore through the Green Acres Campground at Pine Lake in central Alberta killing 12 people and critically injuring more than 100 others. Pine Lake is a recreational area approximately 25 km (15 miles) southeast of Red Deer, Alberta and 150 km (95 miles) northeast of the City of Calgary. The tornado formed out of a severe thunderstorm which formed on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies and moved rapidly eastward. It touched down about 5 km (3 miles) west of the campground and was on the ground for approximately 20 km (12 miles).

Damage occurred in a swathe 800 to 1500 metres wide (1/2 mile-1 mile). The heaviest damage occurred in a 500-metre (3/8 mile) central corridor. Damage assessment suggests that winds within the central corridor reached 300 km/h (190 mph). In addition, Weather Watchers reported hail as large as baseballs.

Chronology

* 5:37 PM Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) - Environment Canada issues a severe thunderstorm watch for the Red Deer area including Pine Lake.
* 6:18 PM MDT - watch upgraded to a severe thunderstorm warning, indicating that a thunderstorm with potentially large hail, very heavy rain, intense lightning and dangerous winds had developed.
* 7:00 PM MDT - the tornado destroys a number of recreational vehicles in the Green Acres Campground on the western shore of Pine Lake. 12 people are killed and more than 100 critically injured.
* 7:05 PM MDT - Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)] notify Environment Canada that a tornado had just been reported at Pine Lake. The severe thunderstorm warning was immediately upgraded to a tornado warning.
* After 7:05 PM MDT - Warnings and watches were continued through the evening hours. In all, more than 40 watches and warnings were issued for Alberta and Saskatchewan as the storm crossed the provincial boundary. Multiple storm warnings

Meteorology

The tornado resulted from a severe thunderstorm that developed Friday evening in the foothills area of Alberta and tracked eastward. As it moved eastward, it encountered a narrow band of low level moisture that caused it to develop into a severe thunderstorm cell.

An average of 16 tornadoes occur in Alberta every year, and an average of 41 tornadoes occur each year in the Prairie Provinces. The last deaths due to tornadoes in the Prairies occurred during the July 31, 1987 Edmonton tornado. Canada ranks second in the world for tornado occurrences after the United States.

See also

* List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
** List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
*** List of Canadian tornadoes

References

External links

* [http://www.ec.gc.ca/press/000715_n_e.htm Environment Canada] - Tornado at Pine Lake chronology
* [http://www.ontariostorms.com/2000/jul/14/ Storms 2000]
* [http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-70-1713-11763/disasters_tragedies/tornadoes/clip11 CBC Broadcast Archive]
* [http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/000714.html GOES Imagery of the Tornado]
* [http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/000714_g10_ir4_anim.html GOES Animation]