Hydro Ones and local crews are continuing to clean up after what an Environment Canada Meteorologist is calling an extraordinary event.
That’s what Gerald Cheng, a Meteorologist with Environment Canada, is saying almost a week after six tornadoes touched down in Eastern Ontario. He says that with the warm, humid temperatures, it the perfect storm for a severe thunderstorm to develop. “Just because it’s hot and humid doesn’t mean there’s thunderstorms, there has to be a trigger,” Cheng added. That trigger was the cold front that passed through. He added that with the winds going up in height and coming from different directions allowed for rotation, which caused the tornadoes. “Six touching down is extraordinary,” he said.
The last time there was a comparable event in Ontario was in 2009, Cheng said. That was when 18 tornadoes hit south of Toronto in the largest single-day tornado outbreak in Ontario and Canadian history.
“When thunderstorms do hit the area, you can seek shelter. That’s the first thing people should think about,” Cheng said. He added to always pay attention to Environment Canada alerts. He added that with the new alert ready system, it sends these alerts directly to your phone. It’s important, Cheng says, to take these alerts seriously.