Two tornadoes confirmed in Windsor-Essex

By Zander Kelly

Two tornadoes touched down in the Windsor-Essex area last Tuesday, Environment Canada reports.

“It’s not an everyday event,” said Gerald Cheng, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.  “We have had tornadoes in September before, but these were not as powerful.”

Two category EF-1 tornadoes with wind speeds of approximately 150 km/h swept through the region, including one in the McGregor area and one in the Staples area. The strong winds knocked over a garage, trees, and caused roof damage.

There were also reports of a tornado in the Amherstburg area, but these reports are only “probable,” said Cheng. Any tornado in the Amherstburg area would have likely been the remnants of a tornado that did more significant damage in Michigan, which had worn out to an F-0 category before reaching Amherstburg.

Some of the damage done by this weak tornado included the destruction of a brick welcome sign.

“We’ve had years where we’ve confirmed more tornadoes but recently it’s been grouped,” said Cheng. “We had three in the Ottawa region on the Ontario side, more in Quebec, and two confirmed and one possible in southwest Ontario.”

Cheng encourages citizens to stay up to date with local weather events by checking the forecast section of the Environment Canada Website.