Alberta tornadoes on track for record year: researchers
Posted July 22, 2026 8:45 am.
There have been a lot more tornadoes in Alberta this year.
Saturday’s tornado near Rocky Mountain House was rated an EF2, meaning it had winds of over 180 kilometres an hour when it ripped off roofs and downed trees.
That was Alberta’s 26th confirmed tornado of 2026, according to those who study the violent atmospheric storms.
“There was 10 tornadoes over a three-day period in Alberta in May,” said Dave Sills, the director of the Northern Tornadoes Project. “Those were all landspout tornadoes. Then there was an eight-tornado outbreak in northwestern Alberta in June.
“So there’s been a number of outbreaks that have really upped that total.”
It’s the highest confirmed tornado count in Alberta in nearly 40 years, and well on the way to equalling the record of 30 set in 1980.
Edmonton also saw severe thunderstorms last week that damaged a north end school, on top of repeated flooding on the Yellowhead highway whenever there was heavy rain.
So why is this happening?
Environment Canada says there’s a lot of moisture in the air due to the rainy month of June, and all this rain evaporating into the atmosphere.
“You can feel it in the air. It feels sticky, like it feels moist and we’re not used to that in Alberta,” said meteorologist Janelle Gergely.
For the rest of July and August, Albertans can expect more hot days, which means Mother Nature may produce more storms with the potential of tornados.
