Calgary Homes and Tornadoes - Are You Tornado Ready?
In the wake of all the tornadoes that have been happening in the United States lately, a lot of people have a few questions on their minds about tornado safety . While here in Calgary we don't get as many tornadoes as the U.S. does, there's always the chance that one can blow through. Fortunately, most Calgarians that live in homes are ready for a tornado since they have a basement to escape to.
Most of the homes that got hit so hard in the States recently didn't have basements. Most homes down there were built on a concrete slab since the majority of builders are reluctant to dig into the clay and sand to put in a proper basement. In that neck of the woods you'll either want to install a special tornado shelter in your home or underneath the ground outside or look for a closet to hide in should a tornado be in the forecast.Here in Calgary you'll want to head to your basement, if you have one, if if it appears that a tornado could be nearby. For those that don't have a basement, a sturdy closet will have to do. According to Environment Canada, approximately 10 to 12 tornadoes hit the ground every year in this province. In 2000, Pine Lake, located close to Red Deer, had a tornado strike that killed 12 people. Edmonton has also seen a tornado back in 1987.
Tornado warnings are usually issued about 15 to 20 minutes before they arrive. Officials in this city have a weather system that closely watches the wind and can pinpoint and predict the wind velocity in downtown Calgary. There is also a $10 app available for wind warnings that offers advisories of the wind strengths and issues warnings for specific quadrants in the city.
Most of the weather events that could be considered severe last year were hailstorms. The number of severe events can vary from one year to the next and depends a lot on the humidity in the air. Most severe weather occurs during the months of July and August and the more rain that comes down in June, the more severe weather you can expect during the two hot summer months. Posted by on
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