In Canada, Saskatchewan holds the dubious honour of being the location of Canada’s deadliest tornado in history. Nicknamed the Regina Cyclone, the twister tore through the community of 30,000, killing 28, leaving 2,500 homeless and destroying about 500 buildings. It took the community 40 years to repay the private and public debt incurred in reconstruction.
More broadly, there are around 80 tornados reported in Canada each year, though this number is likely underreported as many likely occur in sparsely-populated areas. The prairies are also not the only tornado hotspot in Canada, as tornados can also form in southern Ontario, southwestern Quebec, the interior of British Columbia and even New Brunswick. There have even been tornados seen as far north as Yellowknife, N.W.T.
But if Saskatchewan has not produced most of Canada’s funnel clouds, it has produced one of the world’s most active storm chasers, Greg Johnson. Johnson has tracked and photographed hundreds of storms on either side of the 49th, logging over 50,000 km on his Tornado Truck. Johnson’s website tracks his adventures and can be seen at www.stormhunter.ca.
