Rare November tornado warning issued in southern Ontario, tree ...

Published on Nov. 11, 2024, 10:58 AM

Updated on

Nov. 11, 2024, 4:00 PM

A weak tornado may have hit the Fergus, Ont. area late Sunday night. Damaging winds and power outages were reported

Severe thunderstorms ended the weekend in southern Ontario, with a rare November tornado warning issued late Sunday night.

A Texas low that brought blizzard conditions to New Mexico, and heavy snow to Colorado tracked into the Great Lakes on Sunday, bringing quite the opposite kind of weather. Widespread rain fell throughout the morning hours, but as the cold front tracked across southern Ontario Sunday evening, a squall line moved through, as well.

At 10:56 p.m., Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a tornado warning for the Caledon area, urging residents to take cover immediately if threatening weather approached.

"Tornadoes could be wrapped in rain and may not be visible," said ECCC in the warning. "Do not wait to see a funnel cloud."

Damaging winds, large hail, and locally intense rainfall were also risks with the late night storms, with severe thunderstorm watches and warnings spanning much the region, including the city of Toronto. A peak wind gust of 103 km/h was recorded in Hamilton, making it the fourth strongest November wind gust in history.

Thunderstorms always present a danger, no matter what time of the day, but when they occur at night the risks can be much greater. Conditions can change and become dangerous very quickly, heightening the threat of these nighttime storms while people are unaware or even asleep.

RELATED: Why nocturnal thunderstorms can be particularly dangerous

There were numerous reports of damage around southern Ontario Sunday night, with more confined impacts witnessed across the Fergus area. There was an area of rotation on radar, which can be an indication of a developing tornado. Downed trees and snapped hydro lines were reported amid the storm.

No tornadoes have been confirmed, but further damage assessments will likely be conducted.

Tornadoes are a very rare occurrence for Ontario in November, and only four have ever occurred during the month before:

Hamilton - Nov 9, 2005

Charleville (Prescott) - Nov 23, 2013

Georgetown - Nov 15, 2020

Sharon - Nov 21, 2021

The latest on record for the province dates back to December 12, 1946 in Exeter.

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Severe thunderstorms this late in the season will also typically catch more people off guard.

"There's the potential for people not to pay attention to severe thunderstorm watches and warnings, and get caught unprepared when a tornado does happen," says Mark Robinson, meteorologist and Storm Hunter at The Weather Network. "This could lead to people not taking shelter in time and getting caught out in the open."