The funnel cloud was spotted by Facebook user Jasmine Rose, facing east from the Riverstone neighbourhood (Photo: Jasmine Rose / Facebook)

By Shaun Penner

Funnel Cloud

Sunday storm brings funnel cloud sighting in Grande Prairie

Jun 28, 2020 | 5:37 PM

Sunday afternoon’s storm in Grande Prairie brought with it a funnel cloud sighting to the City’s east end.

The storm began sometime around 3:15 p.m., and Meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada Sara Hoffman says that from the images posted to social media, what was seen over Grande Prairie Sunday was in fact a funnel cloud.

“This is what we would call a landspout or a non-supercell tornado or funnel cloud, in this case,” said Hoffman. “It will not have that mechanism to support itself and become more of a hazard or risk.”

The funnel cloud is seen to the east of the Riverstone neighbourhood (Photo: Jasmine Rose / Facebook)

Hoffman says these types of funnel clouds form when winds converge from opposite directions, which she says can create turbulent air at the surface.

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“Imagine when you are in the pool and you see those swirls of water, you can imagine that the air is doing that too, at the surface, in a 2-D kind of way.

“Then when a rain cloud or a non-severe, just your garden variety thunderstorm, but when those form overtop of that swirling, mixing air, it sort of elongates that swirling.”

She adds that though these clouds typically do not last long and rarely create any damage, there is no guarantee it won’t.

“They can, if they occur at exactly the right time, at the exact right place, they can cause damage.”

Hoffman adds there have been five tornadoes either confirmed or possible in Alberta in 2020 so far. That includes a possible tornado reported in the St. Isidore area (east of Peace River) back in May.