Eric Eriksson captured some dramatic video of what appeared to be a small tornado near Quesnel B.C. on Tuesday, April 9 at 2:43 p.m. on his company’s surveillance cameras.
The wind was so strong that a large crate with a wooden railing was blown off the roof of a building and onto Eriksson’s employee car.
The roof was damaged and the wind pushed the wooden crate into the street.
Global BC Meteorologist Kristi Gordon confirmed with Environment Canada that while there were thunderstorms in the region, they were not strong enough to produce a tornado.
The temperature in the area at the time was only nine degrees.
A cool-weather thunderstorm will rarely produce a tornado. The radar imagery of this event was evaluated and did not show any indication of a supercell-type thunderstorm or any evidence of any rotation in the atmosphere, Gordon said.
A thunderstorm downburst more likely produced this intense wind, she added. These strong and localized downdrafts occur during a thunderstorm’s mature stage. The winds can be so intense they produce a roaring sound similar to a tornado.