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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.