Spring / Summer Weather
With warmer weather on the way it is time to be alert of the spring and summer weather hazards. With climate change causing the number of "hot days" and "extreme precipitation" events to increase, the risks of severe spring and summer weather are ever present.
With warmer weather on the way it is time to be alert of the spring and summer weather hazards. With climate change causing the number of "hot days" and "extreme precipitation" events to increase, the risks of severe spring and summer weather are ever present.
On Saturday, April 25, 2009 a squall line of thunderstorms produced 115 km/hr winds in Toronto, the highest wind gust reported in Toronto since 1978. The line of Thunderstorms which produced high winds, hail, and lightning caused damage and left 40,000 without power across southern and central Ontario.
Thunderstorms can cause flash floods, back up drainage and sewer systems, and were partly responsible for E.coli contaminated water getting into the Walkerton (ON) water supply.
Lightening kills 10-12 and injures 100-120 people in Canada every year, and can cause significant damage to electrical systems.
Canada experiences 80-100 tornadoes per year, most of them in the F0 to F1 range. Tornados have been recorded right across Canada from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and even Newfoundland and Labrador.
Notable Canadian tornado dates include:
August 20, 1970 – 6 people are killed and 200 injured in a tornado in Sudbury, Ontario
April 3, 1974 – Windsor, Ontario is involved in Super Outbreak when 148 tornados occur in 13 American states and Ontario. 9 people are killed and 30 injured in Windsor/Essex.
May 31, 1985 – 13 tornados touch down between Grand Valley and Barrie, Ontario killing 12 and leaving 800 homeless. One tornado passing through Grand Valley is on the ground for 90 km.
July 31, 1987 – A large tornado strikes Edmonton, Alberta killing 27 and injuring 300. The tornado derailed a freight train carrying hazardous materials, a disaster in its own right.
June 22, 2007- The 1st confirmed F5 tornado in Canada occurs in Elie, Manitoba. Fortunately no one is killed.
Environment Canada provides up to date weather watches and warnings on their website at http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/. During severe summer storms the information on the website can be updated as frequently as every 10-15 minutes and includes actual real time satellite imagery. Weather watches and warnings can also be sent to your email automatically as well as to weather alert radios.
