Severe weather, including supercell storms and up to three tornadoes, pounded parts of Mountain View County and Red Deer County last week.The high-impact weather conditions left their mark, uprooting and tossing trees at nearby buildings. There were also reports of tennis-ball-sized hail falling 10 km east of Sundre.The storms developed in the Sundre area, prior to rumbling eastward towards Olds and north towards Innisfail on the evening of July 7, said Dan Kulak, meteorologist for Environment Canada.ìWe're thinking right now that at least three (tornadoes) touched down in and around the Sundre area,î Kulak said.ìCertainly, there was a lot of weather in that triangle between Sundre, Olds and Innisfail.îDean McBride, head golf pro at Coyote Creek golf course southwest of Sundre, said the looming storm created a hectic two-hour frenzy.ìIt sure was intense for a while,î McBride said. ìWe had just finished wrapping up a tournament and we had just got the people off the golf course, but there were a few people left in the tent and they were stranded for about two hours because you wouldn't want to be running through that hail.îDuring the storm a decision was made to evacuate the club staff to a maintenance building.ìWe all headed down to the building because we thought the tornado was going to hit here; it was spinning right above us.îThe course was closed Friday so maintenance crews could clean up debris on the greens and in bunkers.As Bowden area resident Sherry Jones stayed glued to news coverage of reported tornadoes while keeping an eye on the daunting conditions outside her window, she was conflicted on whether or not to run.ìIt looked like a giant mushroom,î Jones said of the cloud not far from her home, located on Rge. Rd. 15.ìIt was definitely going circular. That's when I knew I was in trouble.îSoon powerful winds sent debris smacking against the side of her house and the walls began to shake.Jones spoke to family members, consulting on what would be her smartest move.ìThey tell you not to try to outrun these things but I was right in the path of this thing, whatever it was,î Jones said. Instead of hitting the road, Jones decided to take refuge in her cellar. Carrying her cat and a bag that included her backup hard drive, the cat's medication, her purse and her camera, Jones bolted for the tiny cement well house.ìThe power went out just as I was going down the stairs,î she said.ìI was sitting in the dark, in the dirt with a whining cat.îAs Jones took cover, she continued to hear and feel the effects of the storm.ìWhatever it was, charged over the house and it literally sounded like a freight train,î Jones said, adding that the noise was ìdeafening.îìIt shook the foundation, and I know this, because I was right in the foundation downstairs.îSuddenly, the commotion from the storm stopped. But Jones wasn't ready to go back upstairs.ìI had seen enough movies where I wasn't going back up right away because I thought, ëIf this is what I think it is then maybe we're just in the centre and it's calmed down,'î she added.ìSure enough, it wasn't long before it started again, the same noise.îWhen it was finally over, Jones surveyed the destruction.ìIt looked like a war zone,î she said.ìTrees were ripped out of the ground everywhere.îAbout one dozen of the property's trees, and a dozen more in its windbreak, were destroyed. A few of the smaller trees were tossed by the storm onto the roofs of Jones' barn and out buildings.The storm also took its toll on an Innisfail area campground.At Kelly's Campground, located on Little Red Deer Road, the storm uprooted trees as tall as 40 feet flung them on top of trailers. As well, a number of large day-use tents were tossed into the trees by the winds. The campground also received some damage to its north side and its main entrance where trees toppled.Campers were advised to leave, but about 13 were on site when the storm ripped through. There were no reported injuries.ñWith files by Dan Singleton in Sundre and Patrick Teskey in Innisfail.
