Northern Tornadoes Project confirm EF-0 tornado at Wyoming, Ont.

The roof was torn off a barn east of Wyoming, Ont. as weather moved through Lambton County on Tuesday evening. July 20, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

Researchers with Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed Tuesday that an EF-0 tornado struck the area of Wyoming, Ont. on July 19, causing significant damage.

According to a press release issued by the Northern Tornadoes Project, a “brief supercell thunderstorm” struck Wyoming, east of Sarnia, on the evening of July 19.

A survey team was dispatched to the area in order to collect data, assess damage and classify the storm, and according to the release, “The team turned up enough evidence to classify the damage as tornadic and assess the intensity as EF0 on the EF [Enhanced Fujita] scale.”

The organization rated the Wyoming tornado as an EF-0 which struck the region at approximately 6:35 p.m.

According to the Northern Tornadoes Project, the tornado caused structural damage to property and trees, and maximum wind speeds measured as 125 km/h. The tornado measured 200 metres in diameter, and its track length measured 2.1 km long.

No injuries were reported.

Speaking to CTV News London over the phone on Tuesday, Environment Canada echoed the Northern Tornado Project's findings, and confirmed the tornado in Wyoming. 

As CTV News London reported on July 20, a mother and her six children sheltered in the basement of their farm home as the violent storm approached.

“They were in the basement, just taking shelter and being safe with the kids,” Calvin Batterink, the father of the children told CTV News London’s Sean Irvine in the aftermath of the storm. “It was that scary.”

A farm tractor damaged after a storm blew through Lambton County near Wyoming on Tuesday evening. July 20, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)In the case of the Batterink family, the damage to their property was substantial.

The roof of the large shed is twisted and damaged, a tractor has smashed windows, and several steel farm wagon implements are either upended or smashed completely. Behind the structure, a path of corn was apparently flatted by the wind.

Hank Batterink lived on the farm for 45 years before moving into town, and told CTV News London he’s never seen comparable damage.

“We’ve had many [storms] before, but nothing with as much damage as this,” he said.

The Northern Tornadoes Project was founded in 2017 and is a partnership between Western University and ImpactWX.

The organization seeks to better understand tornado occurrences throughout Canada, including weather prediction, mitigating harm to people and property and investigating future impacts due to climate change.

— With files from CTV News London’s Sean Irvine