![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]()
Ottawa (AFP) Jun 25, 2007 Eight tornadoes touched down in Canada's vast western plains this weekend, blowing vehicles off a main road, and destroying homes, farms, a fire hall and a flour mill, officials said Sunday. There were, however, no reports of serious injuries. "We've had at least eight tornadoes in the last two days in Manitoba (province), and this is only the beginning of the severe weather season, so I expect we're going to have an active year," Dan Kulak, warning preparedness meteorologist at Environment Canada, told AFP. One of the twisters, with wind speeds up to 417 kilometers per hour (259 miles per hour), cut a swath 300 meters wide and 5.5 kilometers long (985 feet by 3.4 miles) through the town of Elie, Manitoba, south of Winnipeg. Several vehicles were also picked up off the Trans Canada Highway west of the provincial capital and tossed into ditches. "I saw a big purple cloud with a pointy bit coming down. It grew super wide, the entire sky was swirling above our car," Lori Cayer, who was driving when the storm hit suddenly, told public broadcaster CBC. "Hail sounded like golf clubs pounding our car." "It went through town and I saw the houses blow up around our car, saw stuff swirling round and round. The wind was green because trees were ripped apart and there were huge explosions when it hit hydro (lines)." "It was collecting birds, shingles, you name it, going up thousands of feet in the air," said Elie resident Len Kindred. According to Environment Canada, Manitoba experienced 15 tornadoes and 62 hail storms last year, compared to a long term (1984-2006) average of nine tornadoes and 25 hail storms.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links Environment Canada Weather News at TerraDaily.com
![]() ![]() At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 were injured when a ferocious tornado virtually wiped out the small town of Bebedjia in southeastern Chad, police said Tuesday. "A violent storm accompanied by a vortex (tornado) struck the town yesterday (Monday) evening. It began at around 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) and provoked general panic among the population," prefect Mbainodji Barthelemy told AFP in a telephone interview. |
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement |