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Tallying Canada's confirmed tornadoes
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Severe weather season usually runs until early October
Andrea Stockton, staff writer
September 28, 2011 — Find out how many tornadoes have been confirmed in Canada so far this year. The Weather Network will continue to update the 2011 tornado tally as the season progresses.
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Weak tornado forms near Ottawa, ON June 23
As temperatures creep up and instability develops in the atmosphere, the chance for more severe weather increases through the summer months.
The Weather Network's 2011 Summer Outlook predicted an active season from Regina to Toronto to Quebec City this year and so far, severe thunderstorms have been firing up across central and eastern Canada.
When severe conditions develop, there is always the looming threat for tornadoes.
Rotation that's detected on the radar can often prompt tornado watches and warnings from Environment Canada. After receiving eyewitness reports or visuals of a powerful storm, Environment Canada will usually send a survey team to assess the damage and confirm if a twister did indeed touch down. Survey teams use the Fujita Scale to categorize each tornado by intensity and area.
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Downburst graphic
“It's mainly for meteorologists to look at damage and decide what the intensity of damage is on the Fujita Scale,” explains Dave Sills, Severe Weather Scientist with Environment Canada.
The scale is divided into six categories with F0 being the weakest and F5 being the strongest. On June 22, 2007 Canadian weather history was made when the first ever F5 tornado touched down in Elie, Manitoba.
Although the damage can be significant, tornadoes are not always responsible for the trail of destruction left behind. There is a difference between straight-line winds and tornadoes.
According to Environment Canada, twisters tend to produce damage in a more narrow and long damaged path as opposed to straight-line winds.
Wondering how the 2011 storm season is stacking up?
Since May, Environment Canada has received roughly 20 eyewitness reports of tornado touchdowns across the Prairies. While photos and videos can clearly show the aftermath of a tornado, not all twisters are given confirmed damage ratings on the Fujita Scale.
Here is a list of confirmed tornadoes with Fujita Scale ratings so far:
| Location | Date | Rating | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fergus, Ontario | April 27, 2011 | F0 | Downed trees and siding ripped off store buildings. |
| Shaunavon, Saskatchewan | June 2, 2011 | F0 | Granaries near Highway 37 were damaged and thrown from their original location. Several power lines were also damaged. |
| Ottawa River between Aylmer, Quebec and Kanata, Ontario | June 23, 2011 | F0 | Localized damage in remote wooded areas. |
| Calgary, Alberta | July 13, 2011 | F0 | 12 buildings over a one block area were affected. Some damaged roofs and flooded streets. |
| Between Saguenay and Quebec City, Quebec | July 20, 2011 | F1 | Powerful wind gusts were able to pick up a driving car. |
| Between Wyoming and Watford, Ontario | July 23, 2011 | F2 | Several steel hydro towers crumpled and damage to a barn. |
| Sainte-Elisabeth-de Proulx, Quebec | August 6, 2011 | F1 | Uprooted trees, damage to cottages and hydro poles. |
| Plattsville, Ontario | August 8, 2011 | F0 | No damage, based on images/eyewitnesses. |
| Dryden, Ontario | August 16, 2011 | F1 | Trees flattened,uprooted. |
| Lac Seul, Ontario | August 16, 2011 | F1 | 12 km track length and 400 metres wide. |
| Ear Falls- Wenesaga, Ontario | August 16, 2011 | F1 | 1 km track length and 300 metres wide. |
| Ear Falls- Gerry Lakes, Ontario | August 16, 2011 | F1 | 2 km track length and 600 metres wide. |
| Gananoque, Ontario | August 21, 2011 | F1 | 1.5 km track length and 60 metres wide. |
| Goderich, Ontario | August 21, 2011 | F3 | One fatality, numerous people injured, structural damage to buildings, roofs removed, numerous vehicles overturned and trees down. |
| Near Neustadt, Ontario | August 24, 2011 | F0 | Trees uprooted, branches ripped off, playground equipment knocked over. |
| Between Cambridge and Burlington, Ontario | August 24, 2011 | F1 | Trees downed, greatest damage in Kirkwall. |
| Nairn, northwest of London, Ontario | August 24, 2011 | F1 | Destruction of large farm shed and numerous trees. |
| Trois-Rivieres, Quebec | Sept. 4, 2011 | F0 | Roofs torn off, hundreds of trees downed. |
| West of Grimsby, Ontario | September 3, 2011 | F0 | Destruction of a gazebo, large tree branches brought down. |
Be sure to check back as we continue to update this tornado tally throughout the summer months. Severe weather season usually runs from late April to early October.
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