With the arrival of September and more fall-like weather patterns – the likelihood of Saskatchewan seeing any more tornadoes this year is next to nothing.

In 2024, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says 17 funnel clouds became tornadoes in the province, including seven in one day on June 23.

Warning and Preparedness Meteorologist Terri Lang said the wet months of May and June contributed to what was a busier season than some years past.

“It absolutely had a lot to do with the wet May and June that we had, because the crops give off a tremendous amount of moisture when they start growing and that moisture is used by the atmosphere to form thunderstorms and when the conditions are right you can also get more tornadoes out of that,” Lang said.

According to Lang, of the 17 tornadoes, two had an EF1 rating. One was near Annaheim, Sask. on June 23 and the other near Arcola, Sask. on Aug. 24.

EF1 tornadoes have higher measured winds and cause more damage than the most common type in Saskatchewan – the EF0.

A less popular but more common damager

While tornadoes are the more popular of the two weather phenomenon, Lang says it’s important that people realize plow winds, also called straight line winds, can cause just as much if not more damage than tornadoes and are also much more common.

“Always, and I repeat myself every year, the majority of wind damage done in summer by severe storms is done by straight line winds, plow winds, downburst winds, whatever you want to call them,” Lang said.

“Plow winds don’t get the press coverage because they don’t make as nice of picture,” she added.

Lang said there were two plow winds earlier in the summer that got an EF1 rating, one in Kelso, Sask. the other in Welwyn, Sask.

Less ingredients

When it comes to severe storms that produce tornadoes and plow winds, once September arrives the ingredients that create the severe weather simply are much less common.

“One of the main reasons is the crops have matured and they’re not giving off as much moisture,” Lang said. “You can tell because we got really hot these last few days but it wasn’t humid because there is not much humidity left because all the crops have dried out.”

Lang said there is also a pattern change now that we are closing to the fall equinox that changes the type of weather systems seen in the earlier parts of summer.

She said that nights are also longer which means less daytime heating occurs.

In 2023, there was only one confirmed tornado in Saskatchewan – representing a record low.

The year before, in 2022, there was 25 confirmed tornadoes in the province.

The autumn equinox arrives in Saskatchewan on Sept. 22 at 6:43 a.m.