2 tornadoes confirmed in Ontario's Lambton, Bruce counties

A drone image depicts damage done to a barn in Payne, Ont. on August 29, 2022 after a tornado touched down in the area. (Source: Northern Tornadoes Project)

An Ontario research group has confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Lambton County and Bruce County earlier this week, causing minor damage.

According to the Northern Tornadoes Project, the first tornado touched down at approximately 6:50 p.m. on Monday in Payne, Ont., located south of Sarnia. At the time, multiple counties in southwestern Ontario were under weather warnings from Environment Canada as severe thunderstorms rolled through the region. 

The tornado earned a rating of on the Ehanced Fujita (EF) Scale of zero, meaning it was weak, but caused damage to barns and trees as it passed through the area. The tornado travelled approximately 4.6 kilometres, had wind speeds estimated at 125 km/h, and a maximum width of 250 metres.

There were no reported injuries.

“An NTP ground/drone survey was completed on September 1, 2022, where surveyors also found a narrow swath of crop damage along the track of reported structural and tree damage,” according to the Northern Tornadoes Project.

On Tuesday, another EF-0 tornado touched down at Sauble Beach.

According to the Northern Tornadoes Project, the storm initially developed as a waterspout over Lake Huron at approximately 3:25 p.m., where it then came ashore near the Sauble River. The tornado caused damage to trees, houses and docks, with maximum wind speeds clocked in at 125 km/h. The tornado had a track length of five kilometres and a width of 120 metres.

There were no reported injuries.

The minor damage attributed to the second storm earned that an EF-0 rating as well  — the lowest possible on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The Northern Tornadoes Project is a partnership between London, Ont.’s Western University and ImpactWX which seeks to better understand tornado occurrences in Canada, mitigate harm to people and property, and future impacts from climate change.