SASKATCHEWAN — Summertime on the Prairies can bring all kinds of weather, with some of it being absolutely unpredictable.
Aside from the standard days of heat and sunshine, sporadic rainfall that farmers and producers hope for is also prevalent, but then there are days that bring something wild to the lands in the form of tornadoes.
Or, in Saskatchewan's case, eight tornadoes that landed down over the course of one day.
Following the aftermath that took place on June 19, such a number was confirmed by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Crawford Luke, a meteorologist with the ECCC, called it a memorable occurrence within the province, which certainly isn't a stranger to chaotic weather patterns.
"As a general statement, the province of Saskatchewan is not a stranger to tornadoes," he said. "Having eight in one day, this is quite a substantial event, and certainly a memorable event for sure."
Those eight bring the total number of confirmed tornadoes in the province this year so far up to 12. With the summer of 2025 only a few days old, it's interesting that Luke says the province will typically see around 15 tornadoes in an entire summer, which could see that average number broken.
Supercell thunderstorms were responsible for last week's wild weather in the province, which prompted a slew of emergency alerts for southern Saskatchewan on June 19, urging people to take cover.
One tornado was confirmed in the Hersh/Frobisher area, between Estevan and Oxbow. A second was confirmed near Davin, southeast of Regina. The third was at Young, southeast of Saskatoon, and the fourth was near Hubbard, west of Yorkton. The twisters were being mostly spotted in eastern Saskatchewan, east of Saskatoon and down towards the southeast corner of the province. These sitings include a couple in the Estevan area, a couple more further north of there, and additional sightings east of Saskatoon.
Representatives from a group called the Northern Tornadoes Project are in the province investigating a number of those additional reports.
The aftermath of all the tornado activity saw some stormy weather arrive in the province, with parts of southwestern Saskatchewan under another tornado watch as a weather system brought hail and and funnel clouds to parts of the province. One of those funnel clouds came from the village of Harris, but it didn't touch down. This weather pattern came from the neighboring province of Alberta.
Photos on social media also showed hail falling around the communities of Plenty, Neilburg and Kerrobert.
The aftermath of all this tornado activity also saw heavy, consistent rainfall come down on the province over the weekend, with the Outlook and surrounding area receiving as much as 3.75 inches.
