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Edmonton Alberta Tornado 1987

Second Deadliest Twister in Canada’s History

Aug 26, 2008

Edmonton Tornado Funnel Cloud, Dwindrim@Wikimedia Commons

Named as Black Friday, a sunny and humid day in Edmonton, Alberta turned into a barrage of thunderstorms, hail and a destructive tornado.

Alberta was experiencing a heat wave and a cold weather front was approaching the Edmonton area on July 31, 1987. The Alberta Weather Centre anticipated thunderstorms and issued a severe storm watch in the early afternoon and then upgraded their report to a severe storm warning an hour later. Within 20 minutes, a resident in the nearby town of Leduc reported a tornado had touched down.

Path of the Edmonton Tornado

The funnel touched down in Leduc, Alberta which is located south of Edmonton. It gathered speed as it headed northward towards Beaumont, destroying farmland and livestock.

The tornado moved to Mill Woods which is southeast of Edmonton and leveled many homes. As the twister crossed the Sherwood Park Freeway, it tossed cars up into the air. It then proceeded to an industrial area on the outskirts of Edmonton and destroyed several buildings.

As the tornado neared the North Saskatchewan River, it flattened some of the oil storage tanks in various refineries. It was fortunate that the major operation areas of the refineries were not harmed.

The twister proceeded up the river valley to the community of Clareview, located northeast of Edmonton. It caused extensive damage in a 700-home Evergreen Mobile Home Park.

Just over an hour after the funnel touched ground in Leduc, the tornado dissipated.

Damage Caused by the Edmonton Tornado

According to Dave Breakenridge of the Calgary Sun, “Overall, 27 people were killed, hundreds injured and 1,000 left homeless. Winds topped 416 km/h - rated as an F4 tornado - cutting a swath of death and destruction 40-km long and as much as 1-km wide, unrivalled in the history of Alberta.”

Beaumont: uprooted trees, downed power poles, a barn destroyed and several cows killed.

Mill Woods: many farms destroyed, hailstones were the size of tennis balls and two people were knocked unconscious.

Sherwood Park Freeway: vehicles swept off the road during rush hour and one person was killed.

Strathcona Industrial Park and Refinery Row: 50 to 60 businesses wiped out, crumpled refinery structures, flipped storage tanks, overturned rail cars, toxic chemical spills and 12 people killed.

Clareview: three homes totally destroyed and many homes damaged.

Evergreen Mobile Home Park: more than 200 of 600 trailers destroyed and 15 people killed.

As reported by the Weather Doctor, Keith C. Heidorn, “Over 300 suffered injuries, and more than 300 homes were destroyed. The damage was estimated at $330 million.”

Since the 1987 Edmonton tornado, an improved emergency public warning system was developed whereby radio and television programs are immediately interrupted when there is weather or any emergency warning.

Worst Tornado in Canada’s History

North American Tornado Swarm 1974

The copyright of the article Edmonton Alberta Tornado 1987 in Tornadoes & Hurricanes is owned by Maureen K. Fleury. Permission to republish Edmonton Alberta Tornado 1987 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.