Environment Canada is defending its decision not to issue a tornado warning for Steinbach Thursday. A funnel cloud was spotted over Steinbach around 6:30 pm.
John Paul Cragg is a Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment Canada. Cragg says to the best of their knowledge the funnel cloud did not touch down and it did not appear to occur in an area where there was a big risk of a landspout tornado occurring.
"Because it wasn't a risk, we didn't put out a tornado warning," says Cragg.
And Cragg says from all the reports they have received, a tornado warning would not have been warranted for that funnel cloud.
"We want to be careful, we put out a tornado warning, people take that very seriously," explains Cragg. "We only want to put out those tornado warnings when there is a risk to the population."
According to Cragg, the main difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado is that a tornado is on the ground. The circulation is on the ground and can cause damage. With a funnel cloud, the circulation is above the ground and is not causing damage.
Cragg says a tornado develops when you have air that is spinning at the ground. That spinning air is picked up by an updraft of a thunderstorm and is stretched out. He compares it to a spinning figure skater. The skater spins faster when she pulls in her arms to stretch out. In the same way, the spinning air at the ground gets caught up in an updraft of a thunderstorm, is stretched out and spins faster, creating a tornado.
By comparison, Cragg says with a funnel cloud, you still have a spinning motion and you still have a stretching out, but instead of happening on the ground, it is happening in the air.
Cragg says there are two types of tornadoes; supercell and landspout. A supercell tornado can be long lasting and is known to do a lot of damage. A landspout tornado is usually weaker and won't last as long. He says funnel clouds and landspout tornadoes are formed in similar ways.
As mentioned, a tornado warning was not issued Thursday. Cragg explains the difference between a tornado warning and a tornado watch is that a watch is issued when Environment Canada feels there is a possibility of the development of thunderstorms that could produce tornadoes. A tornado warning means one is occurring or there is circulation in the radar that is indicating that a tornado risk is imminent. With a tornado watch, there is usually advance warning of about three hours, while with a tornado warning it can be more like 10 to 15 minutes.
"That's because tornados are very hard to predict," admits Cragg. "A lot of the times we're looking for reports of tornadoes occurring on the ground before we can put out those warnings."
Meanwhile, with Saturday being Canada Day, Cragg says you may want to pack your umbrella if you are attending morning festivities in Steinbach. There is a small chance of thunderstorms Saturday morning and then clearing in the afternoon. The long-range forecast calls for a different setup in the atmosphere where warmer weather will move into southern Manitoba. Cragg notes their models are showing a good chance of above average temperatures over the next two weeks.
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Fri, May 10, 8:30 AM
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