‘There were some steps missed’: Environment Canada offers more details after retracting Sask. tornado confirmation

A photo posted to social media depicting a supposed tornado near Fort Walsh, Sask. on May 17, 2025. The tornado confirmation was later retracted by Environment Canada. (Photo Courtesy: Dre Erwin Photography)

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) says steps were missed in its verification process after it retracted a claim that a tornado touched down in southwest Saskatchewan in mid-May.

The national weather service first issued its confirmation on May 20. ECCC claimed that a tornado had touched down near Fort Walsh, Sask. at around 5:30 p.m. on May 17.

The organization would later retract its ruling on June 5.

Danielle Desjardins, a warning preparedness meteorologist with ECCC, told CTV News the service missed several steps in its verification process.

“So, in this situation, the tornado confirmation was sent out too quickly,” she said.

“There were some steps missed in our process. We do have quite a robust process in confirming tornadoes and upon further assessment of the reports and any meteorological evidence that we had of the situation, we’ve deemed that we can no longer confirm that a tornado has occurred.”

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According to Desjardins, thunderstorm conditions in the Maple Creek region the evening of May 17 only offered a slim chance of a tornado developing.

“It definitely wasn’t a situation that would have produced those strong, supercell-type tornadoes that day,” she explained.

“There was a really small possibility that you could have had a brief landspout tornado touch down, but that was a very small chance.”

According to ECCC, it receives reports of severe weather from the public from various sources, including by email, phone calls to its storm line and social media. The service’s meteorologists assess the reports and compare them to expected weather, radar and satellite imagery.

Desjardins confirmed that ECCC did receive a photo of the now unconfirmed tornado.

The photo was thought to be plausible and in addition to the meteorological conditions at the time — a confirmation was sent out.

After meteorologists received additional photos of the thunderstorm from the same time period — they reviewed all other information and rescinded the confirmation.

Desjardins noted that the service has received questionable evidence of severe weather in the past — a problem she is not expecting to go away anytime soon.

“I would say that we have definitely received questionable photos. This isn’t anything new to us,” she said. “It may become more common, and especially with Photoshop, AI … I don’t foresee that problem going away, I guess, anytime in the near future.”

She added that in situations where there are multiple sources, as well as tangible damage left behind, the issue of confirmation is much easier.

According to Desjardins, the weather agency is working to ensure that a similar incident does not happen again.

“We do take this very seriously, and we are ensuring that this doesn’t happen in the future by making sure everyone’s on the same page with respect to our process for confirming the tornadoes.”

The investigation into the May 17 thunderstorm and possible tornado remains ongoing.