A tornado that tore through the Tulliby Lake area on Saturday, July 11 has officially been rated an EF3, making it one of the strongest tornadoes recorded on the Prairies so far this year.

The County of Vermilion River says the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) has confirmed the tornado reached estimated wind speeds of up to 230 km/h. The tornado carved a 17.5-kilometre path with a maximum width of 450 metres, travelling from the west-southwest at approximately 245 degrees.

Despite the significant damage, no injuries were reported.

Significant damage documented

According to the Northern Tornadoes Project, survey teams found extensive damage along the tornado’s path, including a destroyed home, a trailer thrown by the storm and areas where every tree was either snapped or uprooted.

The team said the destroyed home was carefully evaluated when determining the tornado’s rating.

“Due to the home’s construction and the level of surrounding damage and other damage along the path, and considering precedent events and ratings at locations such as Dunrobin, Ontario in 2018, the decision was made to assign an EF3 rating rather than EF4,” the NTP said.

The organization also noted this is the third EF3 tornado to strike the Prairie provinces this season, with each occurring during a different severe weather event in a different province.

Image of house destroyed by tornado at Tulliby Lake

County thankful no one was hurt

The County of Vermilion River says it is grateful that, despite the tornado’s strength and widespread damage, there were no reported injuries.

The Northern Tornadoes Project’s full damage survey and report are available on its website.

Lakeland Connect will continue to follow any additional updates related to recovery efforts in the Tulliby Lake area.