Storm chasers flock to Alberta as weather worsens

Storms chasers are flocking to Alberta and Saskatchewan, where they sayweather conditions have created aperfect storm for tornadoes and thunderstorms.

• Tornado warnings for Claresholm, High River, Okotoks as weather warnings expand

A severe thunderstorm bore down on Okotoks, High River and Claresholmaround 5 p.m. Saturday. Meteorologists with Environment Canada used radar to detecta possible tornado in that storm, south of Longview.

"This is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation," they warned in a release.

"If you hear a roaring sound or see a funnel cloud, swirling debris near the ground, flying debris, or any threatening weather approaching, take shelter immediately."

The organizationalso issued severe thunderstorm warnings for another eleven communities in southern Alberta.

In late June, teams of storm chasers descended on Alberta and Saskatchewan, brandishing cameras for the tornado season ahead.

"The last five years have been an absolute tornado recession," said Greg Johnson about weather patterns in both provinces."It's just nice for us to not have to drive 3,000 kilometresto see something."

The Alberta-Saskatchewanborder rebounded asprime territory for tornadoes last month, said thephotographer fortheTornado Huntersstorm-chasing team. In fact, Johnson said he's unused to seeing tornadoesthis early in the year.

"Tornadoes are a different animal," he said."I always liken it to baking a cake. You have to have four ingredients and if you don't have one of those ingredients you're just not going to have any chance of a tornado."

Not quite as photogenic as the Alberta storms today but I will take this shot from Chamberlain, SK this evening pic.twitter.com/C5OzcSIVRu

—@TornadoGreg

Johnsonuses the acronym SLIM to track storms and predict tornadoes: shear, lift, instabilityand moisture.

He explains 'shear' as "different heights in the atmosphere having different winds travelling at different speeds," whichcreates a swirlingstorm. Lift is required to mix warm moist air with colddry air, he said, and weather instability results from a build-up of heat.

The final ingredient Johnson looks for is moisture, which he said is rarein Alberta and Saskatchewan.

"If you're missing one ingredient, you got no cake. You can still have a mess going on in the oven, but you're not going to have a cake."

Others left behind the promise of 'Tornado Alley' in the United States to chase storms across Alberta instead.

Oklahoma-based photographer Ben Holcombwatched a supercellcloudand tornadounfurlwest of Didsbury, about 80 km north of Calgary,onFriday.

"It was extremely photogenic and was a nice little welcome to Canada for me," Holcomb said.

Ronnie Rabenawatchedthe same storm from a different field.

"We've been pretty busy," said the founder of Alberta's Twisted Chasers team. "It's good for us storm chasers.

"I mean obviously we would never want to see a tornado go through a city or damage any farms,wewant to see it out in the open field."

Rabenawarns amateur chasers not to take storms lightlyand recommends they find someone experienced to work with.

"You have to be able to read a storm," he said.

If you captured photographsof Alberta storms worth sharing, send them to webedmonton@cbc.ca.

@ZoeHTodd