Tornado season is officially underway in Ontario as the first one touched down near Woodstock, Ont., a week ago, according to weather researchers.
The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) at Western University said Thursday that an EFO tornado — the lowest level on the tornado severity index — touched down in Lakeside, Ont., at around 3 a.m. on May 16.
In a blog post on NTP’s website, the group says that “only trees and a power pole were damaged along the tornado’s narrow path” and that no injuries were reported.
The NTP estimated that wind speeds reached up to 115 km/h while it touched down for 3.6 kilometres with a width of 160 metres.
NTP director David Sills told Global News that May is generally the time when tornados first begin to arrive in Ontario.
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“May is the beginning of the tornado season in Ontario on average,” he explained. “Though last year the first tornado was on March 16 (down near Windsor). Unusually early.”
The NTP had previously reported that there was an EFO downburst about 45 minutes prior to the tornado down the highway in Chatham. The downburst left behind damage to several barns and farm buildings as well as power poles and trees in the area.
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Global News Chief Meteorologist Anthony Farnell explained the difference between the two weather events.
“A downburst is wind that descends from a thunderstorm and fans out when it reaches the ground while a tornado that is wind converging at the surface and then rising into the storm,” he said. “The damage pattern is different for the two events but in this case the wind speeds are similar.
“Tornado damage is often narrow and chaotic (in several directions). Downbust wind damage can be more widespread but it’s mostly in the same direction.”
While this is the first confirmed tornado of the year in Ontario, there have been five others across the country in 2025 so far, including one in Vanderhoof, B.C., on Wednesday.
There were 129 tornados across Canada in 2024, according to NTP, with 60 of those occurring in Ontario.
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