Twenty five years ago an F3 tornado struck the Green Acres Campground near Pine Lake, Alta., on the evening of July 14, 2000, killing 12 people and injuring more than 140 others.

The twister, packing winds estimated at up to 300 km/h, cut a roughly 15‑km path of destruction across about 800 m to 1.5 km of countryside.

The storm formed out of a severe thunderstorm that developed on the eastern slopes of the Rockies and rapidly intensified upon encountering moist low‑level air. After touching down about 5 km west of the campground at around 7 p.m., it demolished trailers and RVs, tossing some into Pine Lake.

Environment Canada had issued a severe‑thunderstorm watch at 5:37 p.m., upgraded to a warning at 6:18 p.m., and downgraded to a tornado warning by 7:05 p.m. after the tornado was reported.

The event was Canada’s deadliest tornado since Edmonton’s “Black Friday” F4 in 1987 and remains the fourth‑deadliest in national history.

Recovery efforts involved more than 100 military personnel, 20 search‑and‑rescue teams, navy divers and Calgary fire crews. Property damage was estimated at approximately $13 million.