{"id":139284,"date":"2026-07-22T10:28:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T10:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/139284\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T10:28:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T10:28:18","slug":"destructive-alberta-tornado-narrowly-misses-rocky-mountain-house-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/139284\/","title":{"rendered":"Destructive Alberta tornado narrowly misses Rocky Mountain House community"},"content":{"rendered":"

New details are emerging about destructive tornadoes<\/a> that touched down in the Alberta foothills July 18, including how its path barely missed several Rocky Mountain House neighbourhoods<\/a>.<\/p>\n

DON’T MISS: Tornado causes ‘significant damage’ to parts of west-central Alberta county<\/a><\/p>\n

The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) has confirmed that two EF2 tornadoes touched down<\/a>. The tornadoes overlapped briefly and caused notable damage, including significant tree loss. One tornado destroyed a sturdy outbuilding, scattering debris, while the other damaged the roof of a home.<\/p>\n

\"Baron<\/p>\n

Clearwater County mapping data shows one twister touched down at around 6:30 p.m., about five kilometres southwest of the southern limits of Rocky Mountain House.<\/p>\n

It traveled towards the town before taking a more easterly route, narrowly avoiding the southernmost neighbourhoods of the town of roughly 8100 people. The tornado then continued in a northeast path around the town before heading into the countryside towards Leslieville.<\/p>\n

\"Clearwater<\/p>\n

\nClearwater County | GIS mapping shows the path of the tornado, as well as properties damaged by the storm<\/p>\n

While the town of Rocky Mountain House itself escaped mostly unscathed, it dealt significant damage to dozens of properties in the county.<\/p>\n

DON’T MISS: The Weather Network’s hub for all information on tornadoes in Canada<\/a><\/p>\n

Clearwater County officials reported Monday that 51 properties were damaged by the storm. Eight homes were left uninhabitable, and approximately 92 hectares of trees were damaged as well.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a lot of outbuildings damaged. Calf shelters, granaries turned over, and shops completely decimated. They\u2019re no longer in place,\u201d said Clearwater County reeve Jordon Northcott.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of damage to homes. They weren\u2019t completely destroyed, but had fallen trees on them, and shingles completely stripped from the roof. I haven\u2019t heard any reports of livestock injuries, so that\u2019s good news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Connor<\/p>\n

\nConnor O\u2019Donovan | Damage from the storm is seen just southeast of the town of Rocky Mountain House<\/p>\n

Clearwater County and utility management crews were busy over the weekend and on Monday afternoon clearing roadways of debris, attending to damaged infrastructure assisting residents in cleanup efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouncil is here for the residents of the county. It\u2019s a really difficult time for a lot of people, so if there\u2019s anything we can do, please reach out to your council members,\u201d Northcott added.<\/p>\n

DON’T MISS: \u2018This is a tornado emergency\u2019: How forecasters warn of grave danger<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, several provincial officials commented on the storm and its damage over the weekend, urging impacted residents to begin insurance claims right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor tornado-related damage, Albertans should contact their insurance provider as soon as possible to discuss coverage and begin the claims process. Most residential insurance policies cover damage caused by windstorms and tornadoes, while vehicle damage may be covered if comprehensive or all-perils coverage is in place,\u201d said Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA Jason Nixon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue working closely with local municipalities and emergency officials to ensure they have the resources and support they need in the days and weeks ahead. Together, our community will recover, rebuild and come back stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Connor<\/p>\n

\nConnor O\u2019Donovan | Clearwater County officials reported at least 92 hectares of trees were downed or damaged by the storm<\/p>\n

The tornado was just one of several that touched down in Alberta over the weekend. Another twister was spotted near Cadomin Friday evening.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Tornadoes in Canada are more common than you think. Here\u2019s how to prepare<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOn the afternoon of July 18, a rapidly developing lee trough east of the Rockies helped trigger thunderstorms along the Alberta foothills. Shortly after 3:00 p.m., a thunderstorm developed about 45 km west-southwest of Rocky Mountain House and quickly intensified as it tracked east,\u201d said Tyler Hamilton, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.<\/p>\n

\"Don<\/p>\n

\nDon Edmunds | The tornado is seen from the southern suburbs of Rocky Mountain House the evening of July 18, 2026<\/p>\n

\u201cBy 5:00 p.m., the storm had evolved into a rotating supercell. The environment was primed for severe weather, with rich low-level moisture (dew points in the mid-teens), strong atmospheric instability, and favourable wind shear. Those ingredients allowed the storm to organize, persist, and develop the rotation needed to produce a tornado.\u201d<\/p>\n

WATCH: Don\u2019t fall victim to these dangerous tornado myths<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New details are emerging about destructive tornadoes that touched down in the Alberta foothills July 18, including how…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[164,17,2432],"class_list":["post-139284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-alberta","tag-canada","tag-tornado"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}