Top 10 Events of 2019

10. McCook, Nebraska Tornado

 

On May 17th, my chase partner Jo and friends Darren and Poi Yee and I observed a tornado just northwest of McCook, Nebraska. It was probably the most photogenic of all the tornadoes we observed on our Tornado Alley adventures in 2019. Unfortunately, it caused EF2 damage. We missed a later photogenic tornado, opting out of taking area backroads in our rental car. It was nonetheless satisfying seeing a target come to fruition as forecast a couple of days earlier.

9. Waterton Snowstorm

During the last few days of September, a tremendous snowstorm impacted southwestern Alberta, bringing nearly a metre of storm total snow. It made for memorable scenes and live reports! I wrote at length about it here. 

8. Southern Manitoba Snowstorm

Heavy, wet snow and strong winds wreaked havoc on the power grid around southern Manitoba between October 10-12, along with large numbers of trees still covered in fall foliage that would sustain significant damage to limbs. I never thought I'd see a transmission tower crumple as a result of wind-driven wet snow. I wrote about it here. 

I had originally intended to cover the storm from the more populous Winnipeg, but got stuck in Portage La Prairie, where the storm was more intense. There, power would go out at my hotel and roads were just barely drivable. During one hit, power flashes were occurring, before the winds - gusting to near 90km/h - would take out my camera. 

7. Maritimes Winter Storm

I flew out to Halifax in mid-January to meet Chris St. Clair, before heading out to Fredericton together to cover an incoming Nor'Easter that was set to deliver high-impact, mixed wintry weather across the Maritimes. Getting my first taste of live active weather coverage and getting expert advice from a veteran of Canadian weather communication were probably the highlights of the trip. I also learned what storm chips were all about!

6. Birthday Storm Chase in Saskatchewan

On June 27th, we tracked intense thunderstorms through far southwest Saskatchewan. There would also  be photogenic storms in a similar area on the 28th. 

It was truly a quintessential Saskatchewan storm chasing experience. A sculpted shelf cloud roaring over the grasslands, nicely framed by classic foreground of prairie abandonment.

5. Crossfield, Alberta Tornado

On July 14, a brief tornado occurred near Crossfield, Alberta, next to a busy stretch of the QE2 Highway north of Calgary. While not overly photogenic, it was memorable to watch the entire event with friends from building cumuli to gusting out thunderstorm well to the east. Our damage survey revealed EF1 damage, and drone shots of the narrow tornado track through barley fields were pretty cool. I wrote about this event and others here.

4. Extreme Cold in the Eastern Prairies

Winnipeg, with a windchill of -50

Photo by friend Craig Boehm of my first solo live hit.

In late January, I went to Regina to cover my first ever winter storm. It was just a couple of weeks after learning the ropes of live TV with Chris in the Maritimes, so I felt ready. My first solo TV hit actually ended up being for CBC National, after which I learned I prefer live hits to off-airs. 

The extreme cold followed the Saskatchewan blizzard, so I went to Winnipeg to cover that. There I would also try some of my first cold weather experiments. 

3. Severe Thunderstorm and a Blizzard 

On April 27th, chase partner Darren and I had a wild day in southern Alberta. We started the day on sketchy roads in accumulating snow south of Drumheller. We then moved a little ways southeast, and  documented a severe thunderstorm with hail and a funnel cloud near Brooks. On the way back to Calgary, we encountered blizzard conditions near Strathmore. It was the first day in my life I had been under a severe thunderstorm warning and blizzard warning at the same time. I wrote more about it here.

2. Otherworldly Skies 

On July 23, friends Darren, Poi Yee and I observed a very memorable spectacle near Alder Flats, Alberta. An elevated supercell crept out of the foothills, lit from behind and below by the setting sun. Though it was a fairly quiet scene - save for some gentle thunder and the cattle losing it in front of us - the skies seemed as though they were screaming. The upward motion like a giant vacuum was incredible to witness. Needless to say, I was excited. 

1. Carmangay Tornado Aftermath

On July 18th, an EF2 tornado impacted a property as it weaved through the Blackspring Ridge wind farm east of Carmangay, Alberta. It would damage the home, and destroy a shop that housed some little Calico kittens. 

The family dog Belle was carried away by the tornado, but within a couple of hours, she came back unhurt (see photo above). As we were documenting the damage, we rescued the remaining kitten that had been missing beneath the rubble, after hearing its cries. 

Tree branches from a tree in the slammed into the house and penetrated into the living room. It reminded me of a similar scene I had seen a few days earlier in Eston, SK, where a 2x6 had impaled a home as a result of an intense downburst. I wrote more about these events here.

2x6 in the wall in Eston, SK.