Northern Tornadoes Project continues to investigate damage from Ontario-Quebec storm
It remains unclear whether any tornadoes blew through the Ottawa region on the heels of Saturday’s powerful storm.
Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) is investigating the aftermath of the deadly storm that blew across southern Ontario and Quebec, but analysis will take time.
The NTP said on Twitter crews were in Uxbridge, Ont. and south Ottawa on Sunday to analyze the extent of the damage but, “Given the complexity of the damage due to the derecho, it will require thorough analysis in order to classify and rate the event.”
Crews are also headed to Rawdon, Que. Monday for another investigation.
NTP Executive Director Dr. David Sills told Newstalk 580 CFRA on Monday that he alerted authorities to the power of the storm as it passed through London, Ont., where he is based.
“It blew through the London area and then I knew this was pretty serious and started putting out information saying, ‘Hey, take this more seriously,’” he said.
The Alert Ready system issued an alert Saturday in the Ottawa area just before the storm approached.
The kind of storm that passed through is known as a “derecho”, and is rare in Ontario, Sills said.
“The last big one that went through southern Ontario that caused damage like this was in the ‘90s. So, it’s not a typical storm for us,” he said. “They do get them quite often in the U.S., but here, if we see it once every five or 10 years, that’s about normal.”
Sills said there was enhanced damage in Uxbridge, northeast of Toronto, and in southern Ottawa, which led teams to investigate whether there was a tornado embedded in the derecho. Teams collected data in Uxbridge Sunday, but are back in Ottawa Monday for additional research.
“It’s a lot easier when you’ve got someone who has seen a tornado or has video or a photo so you know what you’re dealing with. There’s been absolutely no photos of funnel clouds with this,” he explained. “What the teams are doing is going to the worst areas of damage, trying to measure up the intensity there and then work out from there a maximum width for the area and a length and by that we should be able to determine if this was a tornado or not.”
Wind speeds reached up to 120 km/h in Ottawa and 100 km/h in Uxbridge, according to Environment Canada.
Sills said it will take time to fully analyze what happened for any evidence of tornadic activity.
“This is a multi-day event for us, as far as going out and doing storm surveys. It’s not very typical for us to have to do that. The last time we did that was the Ottawa area tornadoes in 2018. This is a big event,” he said.
The NTP was in the Casselman area earlier this month, and confirmed an EF0 landspout tornado that did not do any damage.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.