After much speculation about the possibility, tornadoes did indeed touch down in the Tavistock area during last week’s significant weather event.
That’s according to an investigation by the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP), which has confirmed two tornadoes and a downburst last Wednesday (Sept. 2).
No injuries were reported but there was plenty of property and crop damage and power outages.
The first tornado formed west of Tavistock and moved into the town, causing tree and house shingle damage. It was rated an EF0 and carved a clear path through crops in the township.
It started at 5:23 p.m. with an estimated maximum wind speed of 125 km/h, a track length of 6.24 kilometres and a path width of about 410 metres.
Launched in 2017, the NTP is a research initiative based at Western University dedicated to finding, documenting and studying tornadoes across Canada.
Director David Sills said the group’s investigations are extremely thorough.
“We watch the storms in real time just to get an idea of where damage might be. We actually produce our own tornado and downburst forecast so our team members know when they may have to fly across the country.”
The next step is to comb social media for damage reports to populate a map which shows where damage has occurred.
“Then we start planning where our teams might head for ground and drone surveys. We go to the areas of worst damage and go out from there. Typically, for a tornado, you’re talking about a long, narrow path of damage.”
Once a tornado is confirmed, it is rated using the Enhanced Fujita, or EF, scale.
According to the NTP website, a second tornado began north of Tavistock, near Shakespeare, and tracked toward the southeast, causing significant damage to agricultural structures and trees.
It was rated at EF1.
It started around 5:25 p.m. and had an estimated maximum wind speed of 155 km/h, a track length of 8.29 kilometres and a maximum path width of 420 metres.
Damage to several farm buildings, including a destroyed barn, along with tree and crop damage, was reported north and east of Tavistock.
The organization said both tornadoes converged toward a downburst that developed just east of Tavistock and travelled east/southeast more than 17 kilometres.
EF0-rated damage to agricultural structures and trees also occurred with this downburst.
Trees, farm buildings and the roof of a home were damaged east of Tavistock.
The downburst had an estimated maximum wind speed of 125 km/h, with damage found over 17 kilometres and up to 7.5 kilometres wide.
