As we head into the dog days of summer with July and August right around the corner, the likelihood of tornados will increase as the weather begins to heat up.    

Tornado season starts in June and goes until August in Alberta, with many storms creating golf ball-sized hail and lightning that can cause serious damage to homes.   

Last week, a storm system swept across Rocky View County (RVC) bringing heavy winds, torrential rainfall, hail, and even a tornado that caused severe damage to six to nine homes in RVC.   

A question to be asked is, does your basic home insurance cover you in the event a tornado affects your home? 

When talking to a local Insurance company, they said the most basic homeowner policies cover five different areas: fire, theft, vandalism, windstorms, and hail. 

Under windstorms, most of the time, damage by a tornado is covered. 

The insurance company also mentioned it’s important to review your homeowner policy to see what is covered and what isn't. 

In 2021, dry and often smoky conditions helped limit the number of tornadoes in the province to just three. Alberta averages about 10 tornadoes each year.