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October 26, 2020

BARRIE -- Envinronment Canada has confirmed a tornado touched down in Grey County Friday afternoon based on information from the Northern Tornadoes Project. Officials say the EF0 rated twister - which had wind speeds up to 130 km/h - made landfall in Thornbury, damaging trees, power poles and street lamps before entering Georgian Bay. The tornado was accompanied by thunderstorms and hail across parts of Simcoe County. Environment Canada Senior Climatologist Dave Phillips says the storm was one of a kind, representing all four seasons in just one day.

October 26, 2020

Environment Canada has confirmed a tornado touched down in Thornbury, Ont., during Friday’s storm through �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project. The tornado followed a path through the town before it entered into Georgian Bay. According to a weather summary issued by Environment Canada, the tornado damaged a tree, a power pole and a street lamp.

October 21, 2020

Using hi-resolution satellite images, the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) has confirmed 5 more tornadoes in Ontario. This brings the total for 2020 up to 39 as of October 19th and breaks the record of 37 set in 2009. As well, there are now 10 tornadoes that have been confirmed to have occurred during the tornado outbreak on June 10th.

October 04, 2020

The thunderstorms produced an EF-1 tornado that damaged a farm in rural Hamilton and 29 waterspouts, in addition to dropping small hail in many locales in southern Ontario Wednesday. September went out with a bang in southern Ontario, as an upper-level trough sparked thunderstorms that brought heavy rain, small hail, dozens of waterspouts and an EF-1 tornado Wednesday. Significant damage was incurred at a farm property in rural Hamilton. An outbuilding was destroyed, a truck was flipped on its side, a barn’s roof was torn off and trees were snapped. No injuries were reported. Researchers from the �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��-based Northern Tornadoes Project verified the damage was yielded from a twister, giving it an EF-1 rating.

September 06, 2020

Summer 2020 has been an active tornado season in Ontario, which kicked off into high gear with what was eventually deemed an outbreak, even before the season technically started. Following the June 10th event, in which seven tornadoes were confirmed, there have been 23 more verified in the province, including another outbreak on July 19. The latest tornadoes occurred on Thursday, Sept. 3. As of Sept. 6, Canada has had 66 tornadoes in 2020. With 30 twisters confirmed in Ontario so far, with more events under investigation, the province has had the most tornadoes in the country to date, far ahead of Alberta's 12, the second-highest total in Canada. Investigators at the �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��-based Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) have been working with Environment Canada to help verify tornadoes across the country through ground surveys, witness reports and surveillance data.

September 06, 2020

A small tornado carved a nearly two-kilometre path in Washago last week. The Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed this weekend that an EF1 tornado, no larger than 90 metres wide, touched down near the Severn Township village at the top of Lake Couchiching on Thursday. It had a 1.85-km path and a maximum wind speed of 145 km/h. Melinda and Robert Beisel were in their home when the storm rolled in. “We were finishing up dinner and we watched it come across the lake,” Melinda said. The rain pounding on the windows was so loud, they didn’t hear the trees snapping outside.

September 05, 2020

An EF-1 tornado on the enhanced fujita scale cut a narrow path in Washago on the evening of Thursday, September 3, according to the Northern Tornadoes Project (NFP). Information received by Environment Canada indicates the tornado had maximum wind speeds of 145 km/h per hour and was associated with a line of heavy showers and thunderstorms. The twister cut a path of 1.85 kilometres in length. Most of the damage was to mature trees along a narrow path. There was also a confirmed tornado in Port Colborne the same evening, which was an EF-0 with maximum wind speeds of 125 km/h per hour and produced some tree damage. According to �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��, the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) is a partnership between the university and ImpactWX that aims to better detect tornado occurrence throughout Canada, improve severe and extreme weather prediction, mitigate against damage to people and property and investigate future implications due to climate change.

September 04, 2020

An extreme weather event that ripped through the east side of Port Colborne for about 15 minutes Thursday night has been confirmed by Environment Canada to be a tornado. It also resulted in a storm on social media, with many people believing the blast to be a twister. Meteorologist Peter Kimbell said Friday afternoon an investigation has determined tornadic activity due to the high level of damage in the area. The storm had a track of about one kilometre and brought winds as high as 125 km/h, he said. Dr. Connell Miller, a research engineer from �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� and Northern Tornadoes Project, was in the neighbourhood around 12:30 p.m. Friday collecting data for a collaborative investigation with Environment Canada.

September 02, 2020

After an investigation, Environment Canada has confirmed a tornado touched down in Fort St. John on August 21. Environment Canada says the Northern Tornadoes Project and Climate Change Canada completed a remote damage assessment and confirmed that meteorologists were correct in their early review of the storm. At approximately 7:50 p.m. on August 21, 2020, a tornado was reported in Fort St. John. Environment and Climate Change Canada received several reports of tornado damage. Damage reported to Environment Canada included damage to homes, vehicles and other property. The tornado has been given a rating of EF0 with a track 3 km long and up to 80 m wide. Wind speeds were estimated up to 130 km/h.

September 01, 2020

The Township of Huron-Kinloss is thanking first responders after a EF0 Tornado touched down south of Point Clark on Friday, August 28th around 10:15 p.m. Investigators with �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) visited the Point Clark area on Saturday and confirmed the tornado on Sunday. The tornado hit the area near London Road, Lake Range Drive and Rosinke Drive, causing downed trees and causing damage to at least seven properties.

August 31, 2020

No one was injured after a tornado packing a maximum wind speed of 130 kilometres per hour blew in off Lake Huron in Point Clark Friday night and forced three families out of their homes. The tornado was confirmed by the Northern Tornadoes Project at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��. It found the length of the tornado’s path was 300 metres and its width was 80 m, leaving trees toppled, some on houses, about 10:15 p.m. Tornadoes occur rarely after dark, said Dave Sills, executive director of the Northern Tornadoes Project, which aims to document every tornado which occurs in Canada.

August 30, 2020

�������ϲʿ���Ԥ��'s Northern Tornadoes Project has confirmed two twisters in the region on Thursday and is working on a possible third one Friday night. The first one was recorded near Mount Carmel at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. It was a category EF1 with 155 km/h winds, 100 metres wide and 7.1 km long. A vortex/funnel cloud was observed in St. Thomas at 3:05 p.m. but it didn't touch down. Ten minutes later, an EF1 tornado was reported near Union, 150 metres wide, 5.2 km long with 150 km/h winds.

August 30, 2020

The team at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) has confirmed an EF0 tornado touched down in Point Clark, Ont., Friday night. Officials say it happened around 10:15 p.m. The tornado had a maximum wind speed of 130 km/h, a length of 300 metres, and a width of 80 metres. EF0 refers to a tornado with wind speeds between 105 and 137 km/h. An EF0 tornado is capable of causing light damage. The NTP says the twister came off Lake Huron, sending trees falling in multiple directions, including some on top of houses.

August 18, 2020

Intense thunderstorms rolled through southern Manitoba on Friday, August 7th, prompting tornado warnings and producing at least one twister. The tornado occurred near Scarth, Manitoba, around 8:10 p.m. local time. Environment Canada sent a team the next day to assess the tornado damage and gave the twister an EF-2 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with winds in the 179-217 km/h range. However, they have since upgraded the rating to an EF-3 after teams from the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) and the University of Manitoba collected data from the tornado site, and determined that the winds were approximately 260 km/h and caused a lot more damage than initially assessed.

August 18, 2020

The start of the school year is often looked at as an unofficial sign that summer is coming to a close, but there’s another unexpected signal seen this week on Lake Huron: waterspouts. Social media was abuzz Monday with pictures and videos showing waterspouts off Sauble Beach, Ont., around Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, but Environment Canada’s Gerald Cheng says it’s not surprising to see at this time of year. Cheng says waterspouts can develop either “top-down,” often in dangerous storms, or “water-up,” when cooler air passes over warm water — conditions that are more likely to occur in late summer.

August 17, 2020

If you think there have been more tornadoes in southwestern Ontario than normal this year, it might be that twister hunters are getting better at finding them. The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� — a research lab dedicated to studying twisters — has confirmed 23 tornadoes in Ontario this year, with 13 touching down in southwestern Ontario. “It’s definitely been pretty active here in the southwest,” said Greg Kopp, NTP’s lead researcher. Nationally, NTP has confirmed 48 tornadoes, with another 51 weather events under investigation.

August 17, 2020

If you think there have been more tornadoes in southwestern Ontario than normal this year, it might be that twister hunters are getting better at finding them. The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� — a research lab dedicated to studying twisters — has confirmed 23 tornadoes in Ontario this year, with 13 touching down in southwestern Ontario. “It’s definitely been pretty active here in the southwest,” said Greg Kopp, NTP’s lead researcher. Nationally, NTP has confirmed 48 tornadoes, with another 51 weather events under investigation.

August 15, 2020

If you think there have been more tornadoes in Southwestern Ontario than normal this year, it might be that twister hunters are getting better at finding them. The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� — a research lab dedicated to studying twisters — has confirmed 23 tornadoes in Ontario this year, with 13 touching down in Southwestern Ontario. “It’s definitely been pretty active here in the Southwest,” said Greg Kopp, NTP’s lead researcher. Nationally, NTP has confirmed 48 tornadoes, with another 51 weather events under investigation.

August 08, 2020

A deadly tornado that tore a path through southwest Manitoba Friday is the second severe twister to hit the region this summer, and weather scientists are analyzing a trove of evidence to learn more about it. Following early damage assessments in partnership with the Northern Tornadoes Project, Environment and Climate Change Canada has preliminarily categorized the tornado as an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The scale rates twisters from zero to five, with five being the most severe. According to the Northern Tornadoes Project, which is based out of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� and aims to collect and analyze data on all tornadoes in Canada, the tornado that touched down near Scarth, 13 kilometres south of Virden on Friday left a 9.35-kilometre trail of damage in its wake, destroying land and property up to 740 metres away.

August 08, 2020

Two people are dead after being thrown from their vehicle by a tornado that touched down near Virden, Man., on Friday night, RCMP say. A man and a woman, both 18 and from Melita — about 65 kilometres south of Virden — were pronounced dead at the scene, the Mounties said in a news release Saturday afternoon. Virden RCMP responded to a report at about 8:10 p.m., local time, that a tornado touched down near Highway 83 and Road 50N in the rural municipality of Pipestone, just south of Virden, the release said. When they arrived, they found extensive damage at a farm and a vehicle that had been thrown near the highway. The 54-year-old man inside that vehicle, from Sioux Valley Dakota First Nation, was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

August 07, 2020

Over the past weeks, it seemed like Toronto was under several tornado watches. And the Weather Network recently released a report showing a staggering tornado count in Ontario, saying the total for 2020 has nearly doubled the yearly average. The report said the average has been just under 13 twisters a year, but 2020 so far had seen 23 with at least one additional tornado under investigation. However, the analysis is challenged by Environment Canada. According to a Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment Canada, the statistics in the Weather Network’s findings are misleading.

August 06, 2020

Perth County’s tornado count for 2020 will stay at one after a group of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� experts visited the site of Monday’s storm near Mitchell. It had many elements of a tornado – including a funnel cloud one storm chaser caught on video – but the Northern Tornadoes Project officially deemed it a sub-tornadic vortex. “There might have been swirling and a funnel cloud, but not enough intensity to call it a tornado,” lead researcher Greg Kopp said. The �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��-based group follows the American Meteorological Society’s definition of a tornado when it visits storm sites across Canada, something it has done 145 times so far in 2020. The official American Meteorological Society definition is “a rotating column of air, in contact with the surface, pendant from a cumuliform cloud, and often visible as a funnel cloud and/or circulating debris/dust on the ground.”

August 05, 2020

Information on tornadoes and other active weather in Canada is readily available this summer, thanks to a group of researchers. There have been 36 confirmed tornadoes in Canada so far this year. Southern Ontario has also seen plenty of active weather in 2020. Behind the blowing wind and driving rain is science. "When something is damaged in a tornado, that for us is data," said Greg Kopp with the Northern Tornadoes Project.

August 05, 2020

** Please note, later on Aug. 4 after this story went to print, Environment Canada upgraded the tornado that touched down in Kinmount to an EF2 rating, based on max winds reaching up to 180 km/hour and garages being swept away. Peter Kimbell, meterologist with Environment Canada, confirmed a tornado had caused the damage in Kinmount on Aug. 2. “We have a close collaboration with �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��, a specific group called the Northern Tornadoes Project, they actually do research on tornadoes across the country,” he told the Times on Aug.4. “They were able to confirm three tornadoes on Sunday – one in Camden East, one in Oxford Mills, one in Kinmount.” A tornado was confirmed in Perth County, near Stratford, the following day. Kinmount’s tornado was rated an EF (Enhanced Fujita Scale) 1, with maximum wind speeds of 150 kilometres an hour. “The EF0 goes from 90 to 130 km/hour, the EF1 goes from 130 to 175 km/hour and then it goes up from there,” said Kimbell. “So we know we can have an EF5 up to 300-and-so kilometres an hour. Those are extremely rare and only one recorded in Canada, but it’s possible.”

August 05, 2020

Researchers from �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project will be in the Palmerston area on Wednesday surveying damage left after Tuesday’s storm. The storm rolled through late afternoon spawning tornado warnings for Wellington County and a watch for southern areas of Grey County. It’s been a busy season for the NTP, this week alone investigating the damage in Mitchell and confirming three tornadoes in eastern Ontario. Monday’s activity in Mitchell was still under investigation as of late Tuesday.

August 04, 2020

Ontario reportedly saw four tornadoes over the weekend, ushering in the new month with some very wild weather. According to a bulletin from Environment Canada, three twisters appeared over the province on Sunday, August 2, and another single one on Monday, August 3. The first reported tornado struck Camden East around 2:35 pm. The weather agency says that damage associated with this event was “consistent with winds up to 130 km/h,” meaning this tornado has been rated a high-end EF0.

August 04, 2020

Updated 4:50 p.m.: It is yet to be confirmed if a suspected tornado near Mitchell touched down on Monday, August 3. But �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project is looking into.

August 03, 2020

Several trees were destroyed and a roof was torn off of a municipal building in Camden East on Sunday afternoon after a tornado ripped through the area. Environment Canada’s warning preparedness meteorologist, Peter Kimbell, said the Northern Tornadoes Project from �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� confirmed the weather event on Monday. Residents said that the extreme wind event happened around 2:30 p.m. and only lasted for a number of seconds. During those seconds, at least a dozen trees were uprooted or were broken off mid-trunk, shingles were lifted off at least two houses, vehicles were damaged and hydro lines and a hydro pole were toppled. A number of local streets were fully blocked by downed trees.

July 29, 2020

The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) confirmed that an EF1 tornado did touch down in the Blyth area on July 19. The line of severe storms passed through Southwestern Ontario, causing emergency alerts to be broadcast across the region, causing some people to take cover from anticipated tornadoes and wind damage. The tornado path was 6.7 km in length according to Environment Canada, with a maximum wind speed of 135 km/h. This was one of six confirmed tornadoes that were reported, with EF1’s also being confirmed in Lambton Shores, Gads Hill, Beachville (near Woodstock), and just north of Lucan. An EF0 was confirmed in Belmont.

July 24, 2020

Survey teams from �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project have confirmed two more tornadoes were part of a storm that moved through Southwestern Ontario on Sunday, July 19, increasing the region’s total to six. The researchers found evidence of an EF1 tornado in the Blyth area Wednesday, July 22. It packed winds of 135-kilometres an hour and left a trail of debris 6.7 km long. They also confirmed a tornado at Gadshill had maximum winds of 150 km/h and left a trail measuring 4.2 km long. That one damaged a farm and some trees.

July 24, 2020

Weather researchers at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� in London confirmed an EF1 tornado hit a dairy farm on Gordon Road near Arkona Sunday, among several connected with severe weather that day across the region. The researchers said the tornado in Lambton Shores saw a maximum wind speed of 155 kilometres per hour and a path length of 15.4 kilometres, and maximum path width of 200 metres. Buildings were damaged, but residents of the farm and its livestock weren’t injured. Members of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project, a research lab dedicated to the study of twisters, sent teams to several areas of the region that saw damage from a storm Sunday that led Environment Canada to issue a tornado warning in several communities.

July 23, 2020

Weather researchers at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� in London confirmed an EF1 tornado hit a dairy farm on Gordon Road near Arkona Sunday, among several connected with severe weather that day across the region. The researchers said the tornado in Lambton Shores saw a maximum wind speed of 155 kilometres per hour and a path length of 15.4 kilometres, and maximum path width of 200 metres. Buildings were damaged, but residents of the farm and its livestock weren’t injured. Members of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project, a research lab dedicated to the study of twisters, sent teams to several areas of the region that saw damage from a storm Sunday that led Environment Canada to issue a tornado warning in several communities.

July 23, 2020

Weather researchers at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� in London confirmed an EF1 tornado hit a dairy farm on Gordon Road near Arkona Sunday, among several connected with severe weather that day across the region. The researchers said the tornado in Lambton Shores saw a maximum wind speed of 155 kilometres per hour and a path length of 15.4 kilometres, and maximum path width of 200 metres. Buildings were damaged, but residents of the farm and its livestock weren’t injured. Members of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project, a research lab dedicated to the study of twisters, sent teams to several areas of the region that saw damage from a storm Sunday that led Environment Canada to issue a tornado warning in several communities.

July 23, 2020

Six tornadoes have been confirmed by the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) out of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� in London, including one near Stratford. An EF1 tornado caused damage to a farm and trees in Gads Hill with a max wind gust of 150km/h, a path length of 4.2 kilometers and width of 400 metres. The NTP survey team also found EF0 downburst damage south of Stratford with a path length of 18 kilometres and max winds of 115km/h. An EF0 downburst was also confirmed in the Palmerston – Arthur area. That downburst had a path length of 53 kilometres and max wind of 120 km/h.

July 23, 2020

Researchers say five tornadoes had landed in surrounding areas earlier this week, and they say the wacky weather is not unusual. Dr. David Sills is the executive director of the Northern Tornadoes Project at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��. He says the five tornadoes touched down in nearby areas on July 19. "The list is Belmont, Lucan, Beachville, Gads Hill and Blyth. The water spout that was confirmed was over the Southern part of Lake Huron." He says there was some damage caused as a result of the tornadoes. "Most of the damage was to farms and to trees. There were a couple barns in large sheds that were blown over or blown down. Some green bins that were toppled."

July 23, 2020

Survey teams from �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project have confirmed two more tornadoes were part of a storm that moved through Southwestern Ontario on Sunday. The researchers found evidence of an EF1 tornado in the Blyth area Wednesday. It packed winds of 135 kilometres an hour and left a trail of debris 6.7 km long. They also confirmed a tornado at Gads Hill had maximum winds of 150 km/h and left a trail measuring 4.2 km long. That one damaged a farm and some trees.

July 22, 2020

A line of severe storms produced at least four tornadoes in southwestern Ontario on Sunday, including one near Stratford. Belmont, Ont. which is southeast of London, may soon get a reputation for tornadoes after it was confirmed that they saw an EF0 tornado over the weekend. Belmont also saw a tornado on June 10, when a barn was severely damaged in a series of storms. The confirmation of Sunday’s tornadoes was made by the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) out of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� in London.

July 22, 2020

Two more tornadoes have been confirmed to have ripped through southern Ontario over the weekend, for a total of six in one day. Investigators with �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) confirmed on Wednesday that an EF1 tornado tore through the Lambton Shores area on Sunday, July 19. The tornado had a max wind speed of 155 kilometres per hour, and a path that measured 15.4 kilometres long and 200 metres wide. Significant damage was reported on a dairy farm in the area between Arkona and Thedford. NTP survey teams also confirmed an EF1 tornado in the Blyth area on Sunday, which had a max wind speed of 135 km/h. The path of the tornado was 6.7 kilometres long and 50 metres wide.

July 21, 2020

�������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� researchers have confirmed that at least three tornadoes touched down in the London, Ont. region Sunday and they're investigating the possibility of more. "It's tricky," said David Sills, the executive director of the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��, a team of researchers dedicated to examining tornadoes. "As more reports come in, you can connect the dots more easily and see which ones seem to line up and those are the ones we're investigating because there's just scattered damage all over the place." The twisters made their way toward the region Sunday morning during severe weather that prompted Environment Canada to issue tornado warnings in several parts of southern Ontario.

July 21, 2020

A severe storm that hit Southwestern Ontario on Sunday also produced at least three tornadoes, a team of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� researchers has confirmed. It’s the second time this year severe weather has led to twisters touching down in the region after two tornadoes were also reported in the Belmont area, outside London, and in Glencoe on June 10. Members of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project, a research lab dedicated to the study of twisters, were on the ground Monday canvassing the path of Sunday’s storm, which downed trees and damaged farm buildings, again in Belmont and also near Lucan.

July 20, 2020

�������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� storm researchers have determined that a total of six tornadoes touched down in the London, Ont., region during Sunday’s severe thunderstorms. Survey teams with the university’s Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) were dispatched this week to observe damage left behind by the storms that rolled through southwestern Ontario over the 11 a.m. hour Sunday, prompting tornado warnings for the area. NTP officials confirmed earlier this week that an EF0 tornado touched down near Belmont, while two EF1 tornadoes touched down north of Lucan and in Beachville, west of Woodstock. The tornado near Lucan also produced a larger EF0 downburst.

July 20, 2020

Two teams of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� researchers were on the ground Monday near Lucan and Belmont to measure the impact of two possible tornadoes. A line of thunderstorms passed through Southwestern Ontario late Sunday morning, downing trees, knocking over farm buildings, flattening crops and flooding some areas. “They’re working on connecting the dots,” David Sills, executive director of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes project, said of the two two-person teams in the field Monday. “We’ve got a lot of damage reports and some of those are lining up in tracks."

July 20, 2020

At least one possible tornado is under investigation after the intense storms that slammed southern Ontario Sunday and prompted numerous tornado warnings from the late morning to the early afternoon. Environment Canada said the storms produced the possible tornado in the Belmont area, based on damage to trees and buildings investigated by the Northern Tornadoes Project. The tornado has not been given a rating as of yet, and the Northern Tornadoes Project will be further investigating the wind damage in southwestern Ontario Monday. Sunday's storms brought torrential rains, strong wind gusts near 100 km/h, frequent lightning and flash flooding, impacting large portions of the region. Tornado warnings were issued for parts of the southwest, GTA and cottage country during the day, following the storms for some two hours before being dropped a little after 1 p.m.

July 19, 2020

It was a frightening experience at a Thedford, Ont. dairy farm Sunday morning when a strong storm ripped through the farm and destroyed several structures. "I wasn't thinking, I was just running," Eddy Van Engelen, owner of Van Engelen Dairy farm, said. "We were just shocked to see how much damage there was." Severe weather prompted Environment Canada to issue tornado warnings across much of Southern Ontario but it could not immediately determine if it was a tornado that hit in the area of the farm or if it was just storm-force winds.

July 14, 2020

Environment Canada said Tuesday that further investigation of a tornado that touched down near Nanton, Alta., on Sunday has unearthed evidence the twister was more powerful than first thought. “Following an investigation of damage sustained to a farm southwest of Nanton by the Northern Tornadoes Project and storm-spotters in the region, the rating of the tornado has been upgraded,” the weather agency said in a new weather summary posted to its website Tuesday afternoon. The Nanton-area tornado has now been preliminarily rated as an EF-1 tornado that reached an estimated wind speed of 150 kilometres per hour.

July 13, 2020

A landspout tornado caused minimal damage when it touched down in Milton on Friday evening. Environment Canada confirmed the tornado developed in the area between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Meteorologists say the tornado was an EF Zero, with winds between 90 and 130 kilometres per hour.

July 11, 2020

Numerous videos and photos are appearing online of a potential tornado touching down in Milton. Neither Environment Canada nor the Northern Tornadoes Project, a partnership between �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� and ImpactWX that aims to better detect tornado occurrence throughout Canada, have confirmed what was taken on video is indeed a tornado or landspout tornado. This video was taken by Saba Ali in the area of Tremaine Road and Louis St. Laurent Avenue.

July 07, 2020

A tornado, which touched down in the City of Kawartha Lakes last month, has been classified as EF1, according to researchers. The storm struck the Sturgeon Point area in the afternoon of June 23. The twister’s winds damaged a dock and a barn near the shoreline of Sturgeon Lake, about 30 km north of Lindsay. No one was injured in the incident.

June 30, 2020

Environment Canada has officially confirmed a tornado touched down near Rapid City, Man. on Sunday. The report, released Tuesday afternoon, has assigned the tornado a preliminary rating of EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which tracks wind speed and damage from tornadoes. Environment Canada said the tornado touched down at 3:45 p.m. on June 28, five kilometres southeast of the community. The agency said the damage included two large drive sheds destroyed, hundreds of trees snapped and uprooted, toppled grain bins, and flipped trailers. The tornado also caused significant damage to two barns.

June 29, 2020

A research group that collaborates with Environment Canada to find and document tornadoes has confirmed that a remote area of Northwestern Ontario experienced the province's first tornado of 2020. It happened on June 8 near Brooks Lake, approximately 35 kilometres northeast of Nestor Falls. David Sills, executive director of the Northern Tornadoes Project at �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� in London, says aerial images have allowed his team to confirm the damage to the forest in that area was caused by an EF 2 tornado.

June 24, 2020

The storm that swept through southwestern Ontario two weeks ago actually spawned four tornadoes locally, according to the Northern Tornadoes Project. The �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� research team tweeted Wednesday that two additional tornadoes, in Belgrave and Brussels, Ont. have now been identified. The one in Belgrave was an EF0 that left damage along a 5.5 kilometre-long path.

June 19, 2020

A storm that knocked out power to thousands of Ontarians on June 10, including many customers in Muskoka, may have produced three tornadoes in the Muskoka area. A Tweet from a group of tornado researchers based at London’s �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� has claimed the storm spawned three twisters in Bracebridge, Baysville and Mary Lake areas. The Northern Tornadoes Project put out a Tweet on Thursday, June 18, “@westernuNTP has identified 3 new tornadoes from the June 10 storms in southern ON.”

June 18, 2020

The shelf cloud that stretched from horizon to horizon didn’t look to be moving all that fast towards where I stood on the cliff in Goderich, but I’d been fooled before. These storms had a habit of looking spectacular and dangerous, but tended not to have major impacts on the communities that they roared over. Shelf clouds are, more often than not, an indication of a linear storm system that doesn’t usually spawn the far more dangerous, rotating storms we call supercells. So as I stood there in Goderich marvelling at the magnificent structure of the storm that was sweeping towards me, tornadoes were not foremost in my mind.

June 13, 2020

The powerful storms that raced across southern Ontario Wednesday left behind numerous damage reports, along with the first two confirmed tornadoes in the province in 2020. After confirmation from Environment Canda, the sites of the damage caused by two twisters were then investigated by researchers from the �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��-based Northern Tornadoes Project. It has now given initial EF-0 and EF-1 ratings to the Glencoe and Belmont area tornadoes, respectively. The Glencoe area tornado, which was first spotted around 7:50 p.m., was given a preliminary EF-0 rating with maximum winds estimated at 130 km/h. The initial conclusion is this tornado began near Newbury Station and ended just east of Strathburn, travelling just a few kilometres south of Glencoe. The path length was 17 kilometres with a maximum width of 300 metres. Damage was confined to trees and a barn, as well as some sheds and homes.

June 12, 2020

Local researchers have confirmed that the severe thunderstorms that uprooted trees, snapped branches and cut power across southwestern Ontario Wednesday night also spawned two tornadoes near London, Ont. �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) confirmed Friday that damage surveys conducted over the last two days had determined that Glencoe, Ont. and Belmont, Ont., saw preliminary EF0 and EF1 tornadoes touch down, respectively, during Wednesday’s storm.

June 11, 2020

A pandemic, heat warnings before summer and now twisters. In a spring that’s been anything but normal, turned upside-down by the COVID-19 lockdown, snow in April and scorching summer-like weather weeks early, Southwestern Ontario lived up to its Tornado Alley reputation when two twisters touched down in the London area in a violent storm Wednesday night. The tornadoes knocked out power and damaged trees and buildings in the Belmont area, outside London, and in Glencoe southwest of the city. Member’s of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ��’s Northern Tornadoes Project, a research lab dedicated to the study of twisters, was on the ground in Belmont Thursday surveying the destruction.

May 28, 2020

If you’re a weather watcher who takes an active interest in capturing severe weather events like tornadoes on video, the Ontario based Northern Tornado Project (NTP) wants to hear from you. Based out of the University of �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� Ontario, the NTP works with Environment Canada and the University of Manitoba to try to capture information on as many tornadoes that occur across the country as possible. The aim is to eventually develop better warning systems and to understand how climate change affects the prevalence and incidence of the storms.

May 26, 2020

On May 21, 2020, security cameras at a home in Saanich, B.C., north of Victoria, captured video of what appeared to be a weak tornado touching down in a backyard, sending a trampoline flying high into the air. For severe weather scientist Dave Sills, the event — likely Canada’s first tornado of 2020 — was a surprising and coincidentally-timed kickoff to a research season like no other. Just hours before, Sills and colleague Greg Kopp from �������ϲʿ���Ԥ�� in London, Ont. had held a virtual briefing for media and members of the public about how their Northern Tornadoes Project will continue its research into severe weather events in Canada in light of public health guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19.