The twister is now under investigation by Environment Canada, which had meteorologists on site Friday to map the damage and investigate the storm’s size.
“You know there’s so much we know and so much we don’t know about tornadoes,” said Sarah Hoffman, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.  “It’s amazing how they can do multiple damage and be a solid tornado, they can do extreme damage next to very little damage.”
One family was lucky to escape the storm.  Chris Mariak was with his four- and seven-year-old daughters visiting his parents when they went outside to see the lightning.
“I saw the storms heading towards each other and when they collided they started to swirl,” Mariak said.  “Then you could hear a big ‘WHOOSH’ really loud. It was an unforgettable sound.”
(Provided/Alberta RCMP)
After seeing the funnel cloud seem to touch several times, the adults talked about their situation quickly.  Their house is built on a pad and has no basement.  They decided to get into their vehicles and make a run on a leased road that led them away from the fast approaching storm.
They did it in seconds.
“The cloud you see in the mirror behind the big funnel and it basically landed right behind us,” Mariak said.  “You could see tree branches flying down the road.”

FLAT TREES

Few trees are left standing on their property, many snapped and spread by the tornado.
Less than a kilometer away, another property took the brunt of the severe weather, completely destroying several buildings, including at least one house.  Pieces of fiberglass insulation could be seen hanging from power lines, while trailers and pieces of metal roofing were scattered across hundreds of meters of shredded forest.
Chainsaws could be heard almost constantly everywhere in the area of ​​Township Road 320 and Range Roads 44 and 45 for much of the day Thursday.
Environment Canada said significant rainfall this year has left more raw material to form strong storms and tornadoes compared to last year.
In 2021 dry and often smoky conditions helped limit the number of tornadoes in the province to just three.  Alberta averages 10 each year.
If a strong storm with a possibility of a tornado is approaching, head to the basement and find the safest and most heavily built room, preferably away from exterior walls.
(Provided/Alberta RCMP)
Despite the rules, as the Mariak family learned, it still pays to keep making decisions and realize that there isn’t one answer for every situation.
“Keep your mind to watch the sky and when you see those clouds rapidly developing darkening very quickly, swirling, really trust your gut,” Hoffman said.