Tornado, golf ball-sized hail produced by Sask. storm

A tornado and large hail were produced by a storm system that tracked through central Saskatchewan Thursday evening.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed a tornado touched down near Big River and Witchekan Lake First Nation.

The area is located roughly 200 kilometres north of Saskatoon.

The tornado was spotted around 6:30 p.m., but there were no reports of damage, the weather agency said.

 Yesterday’s tornado is the 20th recorded in Saskatchewan this year, according to ECCC meteorologist Danielle Desjardins.

“The average is about 13,” Desjardins told CTV News.

“However, those numbers can vary. I mean, you can have years that you get less than 10. There have been years that (we've been) in the 30s for tornadoes, but definitely an above-average year for tornadoes.”

Desjardins said the tornado was given a zero rating, which is the weakest score.

In addition to producing powerful winds, the storm also dumped large hail as it swept through the region.

Residents in Big River reported golf ball-sized hail while those around Candle Lake reported toonie-size hail.

Wind speeds reach 94 kilometres per hour near Coronach, according to ECCC.

Kathy Edstrom was with friends in Candle Lake when they got an alert on their phones that there was a storm and a possible tornado in the area.

She said the lake was "super choppy" and the winds were very strong around 8 p.m.

It was a while after that when the hail started.

“It was golf ball-size,” she told CTV News. “It was huge hail.”

Edstrom said her friends’ vehicle “took a beating.”

“I’ve never personally seen anything like it before,” she said.

The storm was short-lived, Edstorm said, lasting about 20 minutes.

However, she said the power went out at her cabin for about two and a half hours.

There were several power outages recorded on the SaskPower website Friday morning, due to trees that have fallen on power lines in the Nipawin – Carrot River area. There was no estimate when the issue would be resolved, according to SaskPower.

Emergency repairs are also planned for Friday afternoon in the Meadow Lake area after a pole broke in Waterhen Lake.

RECORD BREAKING HEAT

ECCC said several communities in the province broke heat records earlier in the day, with the Coronach area reaching 38.6 degrees Celsius, breaking a record set in 1964.

The Assiniboia area also set a record of 37.7 degrees Celsius. The previous record for the area was 35 degrees Celsius in 1983.

Temperatures soared to 37.5 in the Rockglen area, breaking a 1971 record of 33.3, and Lucky Lake set a record with 36.7, up from 34.1 in 1997.