Environment Canada has confirmed through Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project team that a category EF-2 tornado hit Uxbridge, Ont., as part of the deadly and devastating storm that tore through the area on Saturday.
In a weather summary posted on Tuesday, the weather agency said the EF-2 tornado formed within a derecho — which is a widespread long-lived windstorm associated with a line of thunderstorms.
The derecho had initially developed near Sarnia on Saturday morning and tracked northeastward over southern Ontario reaching Ottawa by Saturday afternoon.
The EF-2 tornado occurred at about 1:15 p.m. on Saturday in Uxbridge, with a maximum wind speed of 195 km/h, the weather summary noted.
It also indicated it was “a long narrow path of enhanced damage” with a length of 4.26 kilometres and a width of 260 metres.
Just last year, an EF-2 tornado tore through a part of Barrie with wind speeds of up to 210 km/h recorded, but no fatalities were reported.
The storm on Saturday killed 10 people and left more than one million people without power. Thousands still do not have electricity as of Wednesday and it could take a few more days for power to be restored, according to utility companies across southern Ontario.
The fast-moving storm caused extensive damage to trees, power lines, homes, and buildings. There are reports of overturned cars.
Uxbridge also declared a state of emergency when the storm hit and cleanup efforts and repairs could take several more days and weeks.
Massive widespread power outages have also impacted schools in some areas. Durham District School Board said three schools will be closed for a second straight day.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada said the Northern Tornadoes Project continues to investigate whether there were additional tornadoes embedded in the derecho.
A survey team from NTP in Ottawa said data analysis from the derecho reveals that a particularly intense downburst, but not a tornado, was responsible for the damage in that region.
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