Heat wave fuels record

A record-tying 10 tornadoes were reported across Saskatchewan on Friday as a dangerous heat wave is fueling extreme weather across the Prairies.

The reports tied the province’s one-day tornado record, previously set in June 2025, while Environment Canada warned more tornadoes are possible as hot, humid conditions persist.

“We had 10 reports of tornadoes in Saskatchewan yesterday,” Environment Canada meteorologist Kayla Bilous said in an interview with Global News.

The tornadoes developed as a prolonged heat event settled over southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where heat warnings remain in effect.

“There is essentially a large upper ridge over the area and that is pushing really warm and moist air into our area,” Bilous said. “We’re expecting to see really high humidex values over this weekend and into early next week.”

The agency has issued heat warnings across much of southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with orange-level warnings in parts of southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba where humidex values are expected to reach the mid-40s.

For Winnipeg, Bilous said humidex values are forecast to climb from 42 Saturday to 45 Sunday.

The prolonged heat isn’t limited to the Prairies.

Heat warnings are also in effect for parts of northwestern Ontario near the Manitoba border, where temperatures are expected to reach the low to mid-30s with humidex values up to 42 through late Tuesday.

While the tornadoes have caused damage in some communities, Bilous said there have been no reports of injuries or deaths. “There’s definitely some towns that were hit,” she said.

When asked about the outlook for the week ahead, Bilous said the severe weather threat isn’t over.

“We’re expecting more tornadoes in Saskatchewan again today.” Bilous said, adding that the heat will linger on as well.

“It looks like summer’s in full effect, and we’re going to be into the upper 20s and low 30s for pretty much the rest of the week here.”Environment Canada is urging residents to stay hydrated, limit strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest part of the day and continue monitoring weather alerts as both the heat and the risk of severe storms continue.