A tornado which tore through central Ontario last weekend has been upgraded to an F2, officials announced Friday.
The Northern Tornadoes Project and Environment Canada upgraded the tornado that touched down in the communities of Rockdale to Actinolie, just north of Tweed, on Sunday, July 24, to an EF2 with maximum estimated wind speeds of 190 km/h. The project had on Tuesday given the tornado a preliminary rating of F1.
Damage ranged from the Marmora to Madoc and Tweed areas, about 60 kilometres east of Peterborough.
The Municipality of Tweed declared a state of emergency on Monday.
“The tornado tracked east-northeast with a track length of 55.8 km and a maximum width of 1,420 metres,” Environment Canada issued Friday afternoon.
The tornado and thunderstorms caused extensive damage in the region, knocking down trees and power lines, toppling barns, flipping a trailer and even a pickup truck that was thrown approximately 25 metres, the statement reads.
More than 40,000 customers were without power, Hydro One reported.
“Additional damage will be investigated further and may be associated with downbursts,” Environment Canada said.
The statement notes the information remains preliminary.