View source for Pine Lake tornado

{{Short description|2000 fatal weather event in Alberta, Canada}}
{{Infobox weather event
| name                 = Pine Lake tornado
| image                = Pine_Lake_Tornado.jpg
| alt                  = 
| caption              = The Pine Lake tornado.
| formed               = July 14, 2000 7:00 p.m. [[Mountain Daylight Time|MDT]]
| duration             = 
| dissipated           = 
}}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado
| basin = atl
| winds = {{convert|200|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| fujita-scale = F3
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| deaths = 12
| injuries = 100+
| damages = $13 million (2000 [[USD]])<br>(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|CA|13000000|2000}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars{{inflation-fn|CA}})
| affected = [[Pine Lake, Alberta|Green Acres Campground]], [[Alberta]], [[Canada]]
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season = [[Tornadoes of 2000|tornado outbreaks of 2000]]
}}
The '''2000 Pine Lake tornado''' was a deadly [[tornado]] that struck areas near [[Pine Lake, Alberta|Pine Lake]] in central [[Alberta]], on Friday, July 14, 2000, destroying a [[campground]] and a [[trailer park]]. Twelve people were killed, making it the first deadly tornado in [[Canada]] since 1987, when an [[Edmonton tornado|F4 tornado]] killed 27 people in Edmonton, Alberta and injured 300+.<ref>{{cite news|author=Leger, Marie-France|title = La tornade qui a frappé St-Charles a fait un mort, le Dr Laurent Claveau (St-Charles Tornado kills local doctor)|publisher = La Presse|date = July 11, 1994|page = A1}}</ref>

==Summary==

On July 14, 2000, at approximately 7 PM, an [[Fujita scale|F3 tornado]] tore through the Green Acres Campground at [[Pine Lake, Alberta|Pine Lake]] in central [[Alberta]], killing 12 people and critically [[injury|injuring]] more than 100 others. Pine Lake is a [[recreational]] area approximately {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}} southeast of [[Red Deer, Alberta]] and {{convert|150|km|mi|abbr=on}} northeast of the city of [[Calgary]]. The tornado formed out of a [[severe thunderstorm]] which formed on the eastern slopes of the [[Canadian Rockies]] and moved rapidly eastward, encountering a narrow band of [[Water vapor|low-level moisture]] that caused it to develop into a supercell thunderstorm. It touched down about {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of the campground and was on the ground for approximately {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}}.

Damage occurred in a swath {{convert|800|to|1500|m|mi}} wide. The heaviest damage occurred in a  {{convert|500|m|mi}} central corridor. Damage assessment suggests that winds within the central corridor reached {{convert|300|km/h|mph}}. In addition, Weather Watchers reported [[hail]] as large as [[baseballs]].

An average of 16 tornadoes occur in Alberta every year, and an average of 41 tornadoes occur each year in the [[Prairie Provinces]]. The highest death toll due to a single tornado in Alberta occurred on July 31, 1987, colloquially referred to as [[Edmonton tornado|Black Friday]]. Canada ranks second in the world for tornado occurrences after the [[United States]].

== Chronology ==
* 5:37 PM [[Mountain Daylight Time]] (MDT) – [[Environment Canada]] issues a [[severe thunderstorm watch]] for the Red Deer area, including [[Pine Lake, Alberta|Pine Lake]].
* 6:18 PM MDT – watch upgraded to a [[severe thunderstorm warning]], indicating that a thunderstorm with potentially large hail, very heavy rain, intense lightning and dangerous winds had developed.
* 7:00 PM MDT – the tornado destroys a number of [[recreational vehicles]] in the Green Acres Campground on the western shore of Pine Lake. 12 people are killed and more than 100 critically injured.
* 7:05 PM MDT – [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] notify [[Environment Canada]] that a tornado had just been reported at Pine Lake. The severe thunderstorm warning was immediately upgraded to a [[tornado warning]].
* After 7:05 PM MDT – Warnings and watches were continued through the evening hours. In all, more than 40 watches and warnings were issued for [[Alberta]] and [[Saskatchewan]] as the storm crossed the [[Province (Canada)|provincial]] boundary.

== See also ==
* [[Lists of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
** [[List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
** [[List of Canadian tornadoes]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/000714.html GOES Imagery of the Tornado]
* [http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/000714_g10_ir4_anim.html GOES Animation]

{{2000 tornado outbreaks}}
{{10 deadliest Canadian tornadoes}}

[[Category:Red Deer County|Tornado, 2000]]
[[Category:Tornadoes of 2000|07-14, Pine Lake]]
[[Category:F3, EF3 and IF3 tornadoes|2000 Pine Lake]]
[[Category:2000 in Alberta|Tornado, Pine Lake]]
[[Category:July 2000 in Canada]]
[[Category:Natural disasters in Alberta]]
[[Category:Tornadoes in Canada]]
[[Category:2000 disasters in Canada]]