Tornado hit Blenheim, downburst caused damage in Harrow and Kingsville
CBC
A tornado touched down in Blenheim, while Harrow and Kingsville both experienced a downburst during Wednesday's severe summer storm ripped across southwestern Ontario, researchers have now concluded.
The Northern Tornado Project — a group of Western University researchers — was in the area Thursday to survey damage, and released its findings Friday afternoon.
The tornado crossed the northern end of Blenheim and has been designated an EF-1.
In the Harrow and Kingsville areas, a downburst caused damage equivalent to an EF-1, the group's executive director said.
"In Blenheim, with a narrower path and a longer track of damage there. And downbursts in Harrow … so a wider path of damage there … damage just all in one direction," said David Sills.
Tornados are measured on the enhanced Fujita (EF) scale — which ranges from EF-0 to EF-5.
The tornado hit Blenheim at 4:35 p.m. and damaged homes, sheds and trees in the region. No injuries were reported, but researchers noted crop damage along a nearly 10-kilometre stretch. The estimated maximum wind speed was about 160 km/h.
In Harrow and Kingsville, a downburst reached wind speeds of 145 km/h and damaged power poles and trees.
In a downburst, NTP researchers say winds descend and diverge from underneath a storm, resulting in an "outward burst" pattern of damage, compared to the longer and narrower paths of damage caused by tornados.
WATCH | Harrow, Ont., residents react to storm damage, trees hitting their homes
Radar showed a storm with rotation over Blenheim, according to Sills, which is usually what you get with a tornado. They saw a big burst of wind on radar that went through Harrow.
"In order to say it was a downburst, we need kind of a concentration of damage."
"So we have zero, maybe one. Thankfully, it's mostly trees that took the brunt and we didn't have a lot of houses that had a lot of damage, other than if a tree fell on them, of course. But it could have been worse."
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