With rain pouring down and lightning streaking overhead, a B.C. woman captured video of a storm last month that spawned a tornado.
The video clip was taken near Fort St. John from inside a moving vehicle on the evening of Friday, Aug. 21.
Scenes show dark grey, low-lying clouds, with pelting rain and howling winds.
As the two-minute clip progresses, some clouds can be seen gathering into funnel-like clouds.
The video doesn’t show an actual funnel, and those funnel-like clouds are pannus or scud clouds.
Witnesses reported trees being blown sideways, shingles being ripped from roofs and fences flattened.
On Wednesday, Environment Canada confirmed that the weather event did, indeed, include a tornado.
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“Environment and Climate Change Canada received several reports of tornado damage,” said the weather agency.
“Damages included damage to homes, vehicles and other property. This tornado has been given a rating of EF0 with a track three kilometres long and up to 80 meters wide. Wind speeds were estimated up to 130 km/h.”
The Enhanced Fujita scale for tornado damage goes from F0 to F5, with the zero rating having winds between 40 and 85 miles per hour (136 km/h).
The next scale has winds from 73 to 112 mph (180 km/h), leading up to F5, which tops out at 261-317 mph (510 km/h).
Environment Canada noted that a remote damage survey was done in collaboration with the Northern Tornadoes Project, which determined the rating of the tornado’s strength.
The weather agency said meteorologists are seeking pictures of this tornado and damage. Should you have any information regarding the tornado, you are asked to call 1-800-239-0484 or email them at BCStorm@Canada.ca.
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