LASALLE, ONTARIO — Environment Canada has confirmed a tornado with winds as high as 80 and 110 mph touched down in the Windsor, Ontario area Wednesday night, Aug. 24.
The city of Windsor reports four suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the F1 twister.
Global News Canada reports EC officials said it was Ontario’s strongest tornado since 2011.
In a statement on Windsor’s website, Mayor Drew Dilkens said he was thankful the number of injuries did not grow overnight.
“I’m very pleased to say that number has not grown overnight. And we are truly thankful that this storm did not take a life,” the mayor writes.
“The areas that sustained the greatest damage were near the EC Row Expressway, including Riberdy Road, Kautex Drive, Deziel Drive, and North Service Road.”
Fifteen homeowners were displaced by the tornado, according to Dilkens, who said they have found housing with family and friends.
Canada’s national weather agency has been “raked over the coals for its tornado warning methodology,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports.
“The national weather agency issued its first tornado warning at 7:28 p.m., about 20 minutes after the first confirmed tornado touched down in LaSalle,” CBC reports.
“Environment Canada said a second ‘probably tornado’ touched down in Windsor at the same time or shortly after.”
Tracey Ramsey, Essex New Democratic Party Member of Parliament, told the CBC she plans to speak with officials concerning the delayed notice.
Ria Alsen, a EC meteorologist, said the office “had no warning of a tornado” as there were no watches or warning from across the bridge in Michigan.
“Ideally, we would like to have much more of a lead time, but unfortunately in this case, it was just so difficult to predict that this cell would pop up right over southwestern Ontario as it did,” the meteorologist told the CBC. “We did get reports [of a tornado] but we didn’t want to cry wolf.”
By Benjamin Raven
Photo by LaSalle Police ON
