Ontario, Quebec to see more tornado 'fuel,' but more data needed
CTV
Climate change will likely bring more weather conditions to Ontario and Quebec that are favourable to the development of tornadoes, but it's still unclear whether Central Canada will actually be hit by more of them, experts say.
Climate change will likely bring more weather conditions to Ontario and Quebec that are favourable to the development of tornadoes, but it's still unclear whether Central Canada will actually be hit by more of them, experts say.
Severe thunderstorms -- and at least two tornadoes -- damaged homes, knocked down power lines and overwhelmed sewers in eastern Ontario and Quebec last week. Steven Flisfeder, Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist, says that as Ontario and Quebec get warmer and more humid because of climate change, the potential for extreme storms could increase.
"Those two things combined are fuel for those severe thunderstorms and potential tornadoes," he said in a recent interview.
But whether Ontario and Quebec are seeing more tornadoes is so far unclear. Flisfeder explained that a lack of historical data and the propagation of cellphone videos and social media reports make it difficult to tell whether severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are actually becoming more frequent or simply more visible.
David Sills, executive director of the Northern Tornadoes Project, also says a rise in citizen reports has led to an increase in the number of recorded incidents of tornadoes. Project researchers are using archive satellite imagery to fill in some of those historical data gaps and leveraging social media to document storms in lesser populated areas of the country.
Sills said the number of known tornadoes in Canada has nearly doubled since the launch of the NTP: from 70 in 2017 to 117 in 2022, thanks to his team's recording efforts.
NTP researchers counted more tornadoes in Ontario and Quebec in recent years than they expected. In 2021, they recorded a total of 45 tornadoes in both provinces during the period of highest activity, from mid-June to mid-August, compared to two in the Prairies.
