STORMY STATISTICS

Is weather more extreme or is it just perceptions?

LARGEST TORNADO OUTBREAKS: 9

July 4, 1996: Nine tornadoes touch down in the Saskatoon, Maymount and Osler areas. One F3 tornado destroys power lines, while homes and property are damaged in the Osler area. Wind gusts reached 120 km/h in Saskatoon. A drive-in theatre was heavily damaged on the east side of the city.

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June 15, 2012: Eight tornadoes touch down near Plover Lake, Biggar and Wilkie. No damage was reported.

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June 19, 1989: Eight tornadoes touch down in the Blaine Lake area, destroying several crops. Wind gusts of 130 km/h were reported.

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July 15, 2013: Seven tornadoes touch down in the Gray, Kronau, Yorkton and Humboldt areas. No damage or injuries were reported.

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July 5, 2014: Six tornadoes touch down in central Saskatchewan. One F2 causes extensive damage to farm buildings, while an F0 destroys tombstones at a cemetery.

Most destructive tornado: The Regina Cyclone on June 30, 1912 was the deadliest and most destructive in Saskatchewan’s history. The F4 tornado killed 28, injured 300, and caused $4.5 million in damages. Adjusted for inflation, that is $96.8 million today. Strongest tornado: Ripping through the community of Kamsack on Aug. 9, 1944, this F4 tornado destroyed 75 per cent of the homes and 100 businesses in the community. It caused $2 million in damages, or $28.3 million in 2016 funds. Longest-lived tornado: On July 27, 2015, a tornado one-kilometre wide lasted for three hours. Not only the longest-lived tornado in Canadian history, but one of the longest in world history. Highest temperature: On July 5, 1937, the temperature reached 45 C in Yellowgrass, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada, and 43.9 C in Regina. Heaviest hailstone: The heaviest hailstone in Saskatchewan, and Canadian, history fell on Aug. 27, 1973 in Cedoux. It weighed in at 290 grams. Most rainfall: The heaviest recorded rainfall in Saskatchewan history is up for debate. The highest confirmed is Willmar in July of 1984 when 179 millimetres fell. That being said, an astounding 333 mm, or 13 inches, was reported, but not confirmed, by a weather watcher in Vanguard on July 3, 2000. Windiest day: On Oct. 4, 1976, wind gusts of 142 km/h were reported in Melfort. To put that in perspective, that is as strong as a Category One Hurricane.