Bryn Hansen enjoyed a meal of steak and potatoes with his grandmother on Saturday night when they were startled by strong winds, which led them to seek shelter in the basement.
Upon returning upstairs, they witnessed sheets of tin swirling through the air as a tornado approached from one direction, while the other direction revealed the aftermath of its destruction.
“All the buildings were gone. Just ruined,” Hansen recounted.
On Sunday, he expressed gratitude as family and friends came to his grandparents’ property to assist with the cleanup. The tornado caused significant damage to various structures on their land, including the complete destruction of his grandparents’ shop.
“It’s been there my whole life,” Hansen shared. “Looking out the window and seeing it just gone was unbelievable.”
Bryn Hansen expresses appreciation for the support from family and friends as they help clean up the tornado-damaged property of his grandparents. (Nadeer Hashmi/CBC)
A tornado struck parts of central Alberta on Saturday evening, particularly impacting Clearwater County, located approximately 210 kilometers southwest of Edmonton.
Environment Canada was monitoring the thunderstorm that created the tornado. At around 5:20 p.m. MT, the agency issued a red tornado warning, labeling the situation as “very dangerous and potentially life-threatening,” with multiple communities, including Rocky Mountain House, in the tornado’s trajectory.
The warning was briefly extended to additional counties but was completely lifted nearly three hours later. After 9 p.m., Environment Canada maintained a yellow advisory for the area.
According to county officials, the tornado caused “significant damage” to buildings, homes, trees, roads, and other local infrastructure. However, Clearwater County Reeve Jordon Northcott reported that no injuries or livestock fatalities related to the tornado had been recorded.
Rocky Mountain House Mayor Shane Boniface informed CBC News that other areas within the county appeared to have endured more severe damage than his town. He noted that most of the cleanup efforts in Rocky Mountain House involved fallen trees, scattered debris, and detached shingles.
Officials from Clearwater County report that crews are actively clearing debris and addressing urgent safety issues following Saturday’s tornado. (Kevin Sabiston/CBC)
In Clearwater County, Northcott noted that the tornado devastated buildings, harmed homes, and uprooted trees. He witnessed the extent of the destruction while driving near Leslieville, Alta.
“That’s when it really hit me that this is quite a disaster,” he remarked.
Amanda Olson described the tornado’s damage as “just dumbfounding.” On Sunday, she was assisting her family in evaluating the damage to her mother-in-law’s property and removing debris from the backyard, which included trees that had stood for decades but were now broken or uprooted.
“It’s hard to find words when you actually see everything,” Olson told CBC News.
“We’ve lived here for about 15 years, and the memories we’ve made and the camping trips here… it has been a second home, so losing a part of that is heartbreaking,” she added.
Amanda Olson appreciates the tornado warning issued as a storm approached Clearwater County, Alta., on Saturday. (Kevin Sabiston/CBC)
Olson expressed her thankfulness for the emergency alerts issued on Saturday. She and her family had been staying in an RV camper in the yard but moved to safety following the tornado warning, she stated.
“We were fortunate in this situation, despite how severe it appears,” Olson commented.
Clearwater County announced on social media that crews are currently working to clear debris and address pressing safety issues, urging residents to avoid the affected areas, exercise caution on the roads, and keep away from downed trees and power lines.
A comprehensive damage assessment of the region is expected to be conducted in the upcoming days, according to the county.
In a social media update on Saturday night, Jason Nixon, Alberta’s finance minister representing some of the impacted regions as MLA, stated that the province would maintain close communication with both the county and town during the cleanup process.
On Sunday, Northcott confirmed that the provincial government had reached out to Clearwater County, indicating their “strong willingness” to assist, especially with the removal of woody debris.
Several provincial ministers issued a statement on Sunday afternoon expressing gratitude to first responders and extending sympathies to the residents affected.
The Northern Tornadoes Project, affiliated with Western University in London, Ont., confirmed via social media that they had verified “at least one” tornado near Rocky Mountain House.
While monitoring the storm that spawned the tornado near Clearwater County, Alta., Environment Canada warned of damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rain. (Lina Elsaadi/CBC)
The project’s teams are currently investigating the tornado, conducting surveys of affected areas on foot and using drones, according to Matthew Woodward, the Alberta damage survey lead for the project’s parent organization, the Canadian Severe Storms Lab.
“Today, specifically, we have observed roof damage. We spotted a barn just down this road that had been completely removed from its foundation,” Woodward reported.
Having spent many years studying tornadoes, Woodward expressed that seeing communities unite to support one another resonates deeply with him.
“I admire how people across Alberta come together to recover from these tragedies, and I hope that spirit continues throughout the province,” he stated.
Members of the Northern Tornadoes Project from Alberta use a drone on Sunday to investigate signs of a tornado touchdown near Clearwater County, Alta. (Nadeer Hashmi/CBC)
Eric Van Lochem, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, commented that it is too soon to determine if multiple tornadoes struck the Clearwater County area.
<p"It seems to have mostly avoided populated regions, but it did impact some structures," he remarked on Sunday morning.
According to data from the Northern Tornadoes Project, Alberta has experienced nearly 75 percent more tornadoes in 2026 compared to the entirety of 2025.
We hear from Environment Canada meteorologist Eric Van Lochem about this storm, its damage and where it came from.
Van Lochem explained that pinpointing a single cause for this increase is challenging; however, heightened moisture levels, which lead to more thunderstorms, significantly contribute to tornado formation. He also noted that an active jet-stream pattern this summer is a factor.
“It’s essentially a formula for repeated thunderstorms,” he explained.
“This year is markedly different from many of the recent years we’ve experienced.”
