Meteorologist Disputes “Tornado” Sighting
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 at 13:18
Some residents near Pelican Narrows witnessed what appeared to be a tornado yesterday.
At approximately 12:40 pm, eyewitness reports came in describing what appeared to be a large funnel cloud circling on the Hansen Lake Road, near the junction of Highways 106 and 165.
However, Environment Canada meteorologist Dan Kulak says satellite and radar imaging show that a tornado did not form yesterday, and that it was most likely a land spout.
Kulak says when the land spout gets trapped under the clouds it gets “stretched out”, which speeds up the circulation, making it appear to be a tornado.
Kulak adds a land spout is an environmental phenomenon that cannot be predicted or forecasted.