WINDSOR, Ont. — The widespread storm damage in Amherstburg, Ont., Friday was not caused by a tornado, Environment Canada said Monday.
“It was a downburst,” Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng said Monday. “Basically a downburst is just a very, very strong downdraft that pushes down to the ground from the storm and it spreads out in a diameter.”
The Western University’s Northern Tornado Project came to Amherstburg Saturday and determined it was an EF-0 downburst which means the wind gusts were up to 130 km per hour, Cheng said.
The storm damage spanned an area eight kilometrea by eight kilometres southeast of the town of Amherstburg and in the southwest end of Essex County.
@westernuNTP investigated the storm damage from Friday Sept 13 to an area roughly 8 km x 8 km to the S and E of Amherstburg in SW Ontario. It was determined that an EF0 downburst with maximum wind gusts to 130 km/h affected the area. Thanks to residents and @Kyle22Woods for info. pic.twitter.com/aVRdzcGOce
— Northern Tornadoes Project (@westernuNTP) September 16, 2019
It is unusual since Amherstburg had a probable EF-0 tornado about a year ago on Sept. 25, 2018, he said.
“It’s like lightning almost struck twice in the same place,” Cheng said.
Friday’s storm damage was in the same vicinity although not the same spot and it would be unusual to see two damaging thunderstorms in less than a year in the same area, Cheng said.
The probable tornado last year on the low end of the Fujita scale destroyed a brick Amherstburg welcome sign at the town’s north entrance during a storm with two tornadoes, one that touched down in McGregor and one near Staples in Essex County.
A downburst has damage spread over a wide area and a tornado is usually restricted to a more narrow path, Cheng explained. A downburst is a strong wind in a straight path – picture water flowing down out of a tap – while a tornado has rotating winds and can be much stronger, he said. Downbursts form in a thunderstorm when cold air sinks quickly to the ground and are just one of the things that make thunderstorms dangerous.
“This just goes to show you thunderstorm season isn’t over yet,” Cheng said.
The Essex Region Conservation Authority closed Holiday Beach Saturday because of the storm damage and was trying to get it opened as soon as possible for Festival of Hawks. On Monday crews continued work to remove hazards to let seasonal campers back in the park as soon as it was safe. The conservation authority said the rest of the cleanup to make the park safe for day visitors could take most of the week.
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