By Connor Lynch
WATERFORD — Ontario got its first two confirmed tornadoes of the year last month, marking a late start to tornado season.
Two tornadoes formed out of the same thunderstorm in southern Ontario; one at Waterford, south of Brantford in Norfolk County, and one at Norwich, west of Brantford in Oxford County.
The Norwich tornado was an EF-0 tornado, the weakest type, and did minimal damage.
The Waterford tornado was more destructive. It carved a path southeast, ending at Selkirk Provincial Park, about 70 km away. It was an EF-2 tornado, with wind speeds around 180 km per hour, said Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng.
The tornado destroyed multiple barns across multiple farms, uprooted trees, tore off roof shingles, smashed a porch and snapped a flagpole. One fallen tree embedded its branches in the roof of a house.
Tornado season, from April to October, causes the most havoc in tornado alley, between Windsor and Barrie. Last year, August was the worst month for tornadoes.
