Latest news with #tornado
CTV News
3 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Potential tornado touches down in Danville as Quebec hit by violent storms
A possible tornado may have struck Danville in the Eastern Townships as high winds tore through roofs, causing damage and leaving tens of thousands of people in the dark Thursday night. By mid-evening, Hydro-Quebec was reporting 20,000 power outages. As of Friday morning, there are still more than 16,000 addresses without electricity. This comes after Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Greater Montreal area, including a risk of tornado, strong winds, hail and torrential rain between 50 and 70 mm. These conditions were also favourable to form a large-scale storm, known as a 'supercell,' according to Alexandra Cournoyer, a weather spokesperson for the agency. 'These are storms with a lot of energy, humidity and instability. These storms have all the necessary ingredients that could come together to form a tornado.' The overnight risks were higher in the Eastern Townships, Montérégie and Centre-du-Québec regions. 'Obviously, these precipitation rates will vary locally because municipalities or cities directly in the path of the storm are likely to receive more precipitation than a municipality a few kilometres away from the storm's centre,' said Cournoyer. Other areas further north, particularly Mauricie, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Outaouais and the Laurentians, remain under a warning of 'occasionally heavy' rain for Friday. 'It could fall at a fairly high rate. This could eventually lead to torrential rains that could increase sudden river flooding in these regions,' said Cournoyer. All the same, humidity is expected to drop on Friday, along with temperatures, and return to seasonal norms. 'Starting on Saturday, depending on the prevailing winds and air masses, we will see a second wave of warm air from the United States arriving in parts of Quebec,' said Cournoyer. 'The spell of milder temperatures will not last long. Already for the weekend and early next week, we are monitoring a heat wave with high humidex.' With files from the Canadian Press.
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Environment Canada explains timing of Essex tornado alert, as experts weigh in
A storm prompted a tornado warning on June 5 at 12:32 a.m., which many residents say came after the worst of the weather had passed. Following concerns from Essex residents about the timing of a tornado warning earlier this month, Environment Canada is explaining the science behind how and when such alerts are issued. It comes as the Town of Essex formally moves forward with a request for answers, approving a motion this week to ask Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to clarify how its alerts are triggered and whether southern Essex County has adequate radar coverage. The June 5 storm prompted a tornado warning at 12:32 a.m., which many residents say came after the worst of the weather had passed. According to ECCC, that alert followed a severe thunderstorm warning issued at 12:03 a.m., when the storm was over Harrow and tracking northeast. 'Tornado Warnings are issued by ECCC when there is evidence that a tornado has developed or may form imminently,' said spokesperson Hannah Boonstra in a statement to CTV News. She said meteorologists 'always strive to provide the best lead-time possible with all warnings and use all available observation data to inform their decisions.' Boonstra explained that Essex County is primarily covered by radar in Exeter, Ontario, with additional data used from neighbouring U.S. radar systems to help forecasters monitor developing storms. 'ECCC is continually enhancing its weather services,' she added, 'taking full advantage of the latest technology to upgrade the tools used to predict and relay information about the weather to Canadians.' Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy says the storm and the delayed alert have reinforced the need for timely communication in the region. 'We know Windsor-Essex County; we're surrounded by water. We're surrounded by the Great Lakes, the river,' said Bondy. 'We know that there's storms here that can be quite volatile, and we need accurate information.' She says she's hopeful the town's outreach will lead to more than just a written response. 'Maybe there's a relationship where in Essex we offer some municipal property for them to use to put more infrastructure,' said Bondy. 'One of the hardest things' to forecast CTV News also spoke with David Sills, director of Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project, who said tornado warnings are notoriously difficult to issue with precision. 'Tornadoes are very difficult to warn for,' he said. 'Every second counts when it comes to tornado warnings.' Sills said his team evaluates the performance of Environment Canada's warnings each year, and while they've improved slightly, there's still room to grow. 'They've been improving the last few times we've done the report card,' he said. 'But, you know, there's a lot of work left to do.' He noted that the target lead time for a tornado warning is only about ten minutes — making fast, accurate alerts a constant challenge for forecasters. 'It's really one of the hardest things as a forecaster, dealing with tornadoes and tornado warnings,' he said. Tornado risk remains high in Ontario In 2024, Ontario led the country in tornado activity, with 60 tornadoes confirmed across the province, according to the Northern Tornadoes Project. Among them was Canada's first tornado of the year — an EF0 landspout that touched down in Malden Centre, right in Essex County, on March 16, 2024. It tied a record for Ontario's earliest confirmed tornado on record. The rising number of verified tornadoes in recent years is due in part to improved radar coverage and enhanced investigations by the Northern Tornadoes Project, which uses satellite imagery, drone surveys and ground reports to confirm and classify events. While most tornadoes are weak and short-lived, Bondy says they still present serious risk and require timely communication tools. 'We haven't yet heard back [from Environment Canada], but I've heard back from residents that they need to do more,' she said. 'We need to have a good working relationship with Environment Canada so that we can trust and rely.'
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Severe thunderstorm, tornado watches in Sask.
WATCH: Parts of central and southeastern Sask. were under severe thunderstorm or tornado watches and warnings on Thursday. Angela Stewart has your forecast.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
2 tornadoes touched down in Indiana on June 18, NWS says. Here's where
Two tornadoes touched down near Lafayette as part of a line of storms that swept across several states June 18, the National Weather Service's Indianapolis office has concluded. The strong thunderstorms that knocked out power across Indiana the afternoon of June 18 spawned two EF0 tornadoes west and northwest of Lafayette as they skipped along a path across much of Tippecanoe County, the NWS said June 19. Most of the damage in the county was from straight-line winds, but the two tornadoes damaged trees and caused minor damage to two houses, according to the weather service. The tornadoes were a third to half a mile in length with estimated maximum winds of 75-80 mph, the NWS said. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tornadoes touched down near Lafayette, Indiana, on June 18, NWS says
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
PHOTOS: Tornado hits Saskatchewan as severe storms pelt Prairies
Storm spotters witnessed at least one tornado in southern Saskatchewan on Thursday as severe thunderstorms hit the region. A dynamic setup across the south-central Prairies allowed isolated thunderstorms to develop on Thursday. The bulk of the active weather unfolded across Saskatchewan. DON'T MISS: At least three rotating thunderstorms prompted tornado warnings from communities near Saskatoon to rural areas near Estevan. The storm in southeastern Saskatchewan near Estevan produced at least one spotter-confirmed tornado. Multiple chasers in the region caught photos of the twister as it swept through fields, hurling debris through the air along its track. Large hail, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall also accompanied the severe thunderstorms. Experts will likely survey the damage in the days ahead to confirm the number of tornadoes that touched down Thursday and assign damage ratings on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. See visuals of Thursday's severe weather across the region, below. #skstorm Lajord, Sk — Gary Hofer (@LajordSKFarmer) June 19, 2025 Tornado southwest of Oxbow, Saskatchewan! #skstorm — Braydon Morisseau (@BraydonMoreSo) June 19, 2025 Tornado northeast of North Portal, Saskatchewan a short time ago. Has lifted. #skstorm — Braydon Morisseau (@BraydonMoreSo) June 19, 2025 Tornado on ground west of davin it looks like!#skstorm — Mitch Healey (@MitchHealeyPics) June 19, 2025 Tornado on the ground south of Frobisher #skstorm — Scott Aspinall (@ScottAspinall5) June 19, 2025 Header image courtesy of Gary Hofer via X. Click here to view the video
