Cochrane has had a severe thunderstorm watch or warning in effect everyday since June 29.

Dan Kulak, Meteorologist with Environment Canada says July is the peak month for severe weather in southern Alberta, as all the ingredients for thunderstorms come together.

"We have moisture, instability-which is a tendency for the air to overturn, we have mechanisms to get these things to overturn, like daytime heating," he explains. "Whenever you get something called wind shear, which is how winds change direction with height, that's the magic fourth ingredient for producing rotating storms."

Cochrane was under a tornado watch on Friday, something not commonly seen in the area. Kulak says to use the same safety precautions as you would during a severe thunderstorm when a tornado warning hits.

"Most forms of shelter for any form of severe will work work for most others. The shelter from a lightning event would be to get inside, get away from walls and windows, that's the same for wind or tornadoes. If you are in the area of threatening weather make sure you have some shelter near by."

Kulak stresses tornadoes, hail, or heavy rain are not the biggest threat.

"We forget that lightning on average in Canada, causes more fatalities than rain, hail, wind, tornadoes and hurricanes combined. So really lightning is the major threat to life and properties. We get so used to these events everyday, or every second day in the summertime, and we don't head inside soon enough, because we're too familiar with the situation."

The severe weather warnings in Cochrane are expected to subside later this week.

For the full five day forecast click here.

As of 12:09 PM MDT Monday 04 July 2016 there is a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for Cochrane.