Tornado confirmed in Kawartha Lakes after destroying boat house
The storms that rolled through southern Ontario Tuesday afternoon produced at least one tornado that destroyed at least one structure, though with no injuries reported.
The tornado was captured on video by Mike Smith around 3:00 p.m. EDT, seen in the footage crossing Sturgeon Lake onto land in the Kawartha Lakes region.
In an interview with The Weather Network, Smith said that conditions before the tornado were quiet and calm before it moved through without making a sound, which felt “eerily silent.”
The footage shows pieces of trees and debris being thrown into the air and Smith estimates that the tornado was on the ground for about 3 to 4 minutes. He says he also saw a large boathouse across the lake “blow up and crumble like a house of cards,” which prompted him to stop filming and call 911.
Local media reported the boat house belonged to Madison Kozak, who posted a photo of the wreckage on Twitter and also said no one was injured.
Environment Canada confirmed the tornado after reviewing video and images on social media, but has not yet assigned it an EF rating, which requires an inspection of the damage to estimate wind speeds.
"Information regarding [the tornado] track and a rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale will be forthcoming later when more information is gathered and analysis can be done in consultation with the Northern Tornadoes Project," says Environment Canada.
