Environment Canada confirms 3 tornadoes touched down in southwestern Ontario
There were reports of a destroyed shed and trails of debris
Environment Canada has confirmed three tornadoes touched down insouthwestern Ontario Tuesday evening.
The agency said in a statement that a confirmed tornado touched down in the McGregor area, another one was noticed south of Comber and a probable tornado affected the Amherstburg area.
In Amherstburg, the weather service agency said the damage was consistent with EF-0 damage, which is the lowest intensity on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the measurement Canadian meteorologists use to assess the speed of tornadoes.
"The reason we couldn't confirm it completely as a tornado is because the damage path in Amherstburg was not long and narrow. However, because it does line up exactly with the tornado that was confirmed on the other side of the river in Gibraltar, we are able to call this one a probable tornado," said meteorologist Kelly Hobelman.
Here’s where these touchdowns occurred, roughly. <br><br>(* is a probable tornado, the other two are confirmed.) <a href="https://t.co/GROHSUQNox">pic.twitter.com/GROHSUQNox</a>
—@ChrisEnsingCBCThe damage of the McGregor tornado was indicative of an EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of about 150 km/h, said Hobelman. The damage path left behind had a length of about two kilometres and width of 50 metres.
The third tornado touched down in Staples, located between Comber and Leamington, in which winds of approximately 170 km/h led to damage representative of an EF-1 tornado. The damage path had a length of three kilometres and width of 50 metres.
Environment Canada said there were reports of a destroyed shed, damage to another building and a long trail of debris.
The agency said some of this information, "may contain preliminary or unofficial information and does not constitute a complete or final report."