Just a couple days ago a wicked storm formed over much of central Alberta. A tornado watch, then warning, was issued. The storm was headed in my direction. The Alberta Emergency Alert kept everyone in the know as to the where the storm was going.

This has happened before but the storms usually fizzle out before getting to where I happen to be except for one camping trip that I remember vividly. It was hailing so hard that I thought the stones would rip through my nylon tent.

This storm spawned a couple of tornadoes; one of which touched down to the west of my location that evening. The sky darkened and the clouds began layering up. The layers rolled and twisted like the fibres of a rope.

While it was still safe to do so, I stood in an open field, in awe of what Mother Nature was producing. Small wispy funnels would come down from the clouds and then move back up again. The wind speed would increase as the funnels came down and then stop completely as the funnels went back up.

There were only a few small hailstones mixed with a little rain. Locations to the west had hailstones as large as a pudding cup.

The tornado that touched down destroyed some buildings and ripped out a swath of trees. It was nothing in comparison to the one that came through Edmonton years ago or the fierce storms that go through 'tornado alley' in the USA but it did provide an opportunity to think about the power that Mother Nature possesses.

http://globalnews.ca/news/3596149/severe-thunderstorm-watch-issued-for-edmonton-and-central-alberta-tornadoes-possible/