Stock photo of rain (Pixabay)
Residents in Milton were alarmed last evening when a tornado was seen touching down in the Tremaine Road area.
We were just coming off of having one of the longest heat warnings in two decades when a cool front stormed in with rain and thunder.
The combination of warm air and cool air makes for potential tornadoes.
Just off the Tremaine Road, in Milton ON… potential of being the tornado, thank God it didn’t though…@CityNews @CP24 @weathernetwork pic.twitter.com/l7IKbtNrsA
— M (@mk011020) July 11, 2020
We reached out to Environment Canada to get confirmation and more details on what exactly happened along Tremaine Road.
Meteorologist Alexandre Parent says that, from what they have gathered, it was in fact a tornado that touched down on Friday. He estimated that the winds were closing in on 105-135 km/h.
The one thing they are waiting on is any confirmation of destruction in the area. He says there have been reports of broken branches, but fortunately (so far), no buildings, vehicles or people were affected by the tornado. Back in 2018, Ottawa had a fairly big tornado that left a bit of destruction in its path. Parent was in the city tracking the impacts. He recalls seeing the second floor of a home completely removed from the original building.
Parent adds that the best thing for residents to do in the event of a tornado is to get to the lowest part of the building they are in. He says basements are your safest bet in that scenario. If you are unable to do so, make sure there are no loose items on your floors that could end up being projectiles in the event of disaster. You should also move away from windows and get to the centre of a room.
With a tornado touching down in the evening last night, the question of ‘what should people do at night if a tornado warning is in place’ came up. He says while it is rare for a tornado to touch down at all, residents could take extra precautions by sleeping in their basement.
Do not try to take pictures or videos of a tornado. Parent says that, while he understands the intrigue as a meteorologist, you should think safety first and stay inside – adding that a car is also not an ideal place to be as it could be quickly thrown off course, if not worse.
Milton is expecting heavy rainfall this weekend. At the time of writing, we could see as much as 50mm of rain per hour of the storm. Total rainfall amounts will vary significantly; however, local amounts of up to 100mm are possible.
Parent assures that, locally, Milton isn’t in too bad of shape. He says the heavy rainfall appears to moving southward.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ONstorm@canada.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.
