This is the Official Report issued by Environment Canada regarding the severe
thunderstorms that occured on June 25, 1998.
MORE THAN A TASTE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS..
MOTHER NATURE SERVED UP A HUGE FEAST OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
BEGINNING YESTERDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TO EARLY THIS MORNING THANKS TO A WARM FRONT OVER
CENTRAL ONTARIO. THUNDERSTORMS STARTED DEVELOPING THURSDAY AFTERNOON OVER NORTHERN LAKE
MICHIGAN AND WISCONSIN AND QUICKLY SPREAD ALONG THE LINE OF THE WARM FRONT INTO AREAS
NORTH OF A LINE FROM GODERICH TO KITCHENER TO HAMILTON AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MANITOULIN
ISLAND TO ALGONQUIN PARK TO KINGSTON. THE THUNDERSTORMS THEN TRACKED ACROSS LAKE ONTARIO
INTO WESTERN NEW YORK. MANY AREAS RECEIVED TWO OR THREE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ESPECIALLY IN
A BAND EXTENDING FROM BARRIE TO PETERBOROUGH.
AS THE THUNDERSTORMS ROARED ACROSS THE DISTRICT THEY GENERATED
A NUMBER OF STRONG WIND GUSTS..FUNNEL CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES AS INDICATED IN THE
TABLE BELOW. A COMBINATION OF FUNNEL CLOUDS.. POSSIBLE TORNADO SIGHTINGS..HOOK ECHOES..AND
MESOCYCLONES OBSERVED ON DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR SPAWNED A SERIES OF TORNADO WARNINGS
EXTENDING FROM THE BARRIE-ORANGEVILLE AREA EAST ACROSS LAKE SIMCOE TO PETERBOROUGH LAST
NIGHT. THESE TORNADO WARNINGS WERE IN ADDITION TO A PLETHORA OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCHES AND WARNINGS THAT
WERE ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA.
THE THUNDERSTORMS ALSO CREATED A VERY IMPRESSIVE LIGHT SHOW WITH MANY AREAS EXPERIENCING
CONTINUOUS LIGHTNING LAST NIGHT. IN FACT THE LIGHTING DETECTOR NETWORK WAS FREQUENTLY
SHOWING MORE THAN 3000 LIGHTNING STRIKES PER 10 MINUTES OVER SOUTHERN ONTARIO MICHIGAN AND
WESTERN NEW YORK STATE DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE STORMS. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REPORTS OF
POWER OUTAGES DUE TO THE THUNDERSTORMS.
IN ADDITION THERE WERE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF SMALL HAIL STRONG WINDS AND TORRENTIAL DRIVING
DOWNPOURS GIVING LOCAL AMOUNTS OF 30 TO 60 MM IN AN HOUR OR LESS AS FAR NORTHWEST AS
MANITOULIN ISLAND LAST NIGHT. LOCAL FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN SEVERAL AREAS AS A RESULT. IN
FACT 63 MM OF RAIN FELL AT PETERBOROUGH AIRPORT DURING THE THUNDERSTORMS.
THE TABLE BELOW GIVES A PRELIMINARY SUMMARY OF THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS REPORTED AS OF
5.00 AM THIS MORNING. MORE REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER AND POSSIBLE DAMAGE WILL LIKELY
FILTER IN LATER TODAY.
TIME LOCATION EVENT
6.10 PM ARTHUR AREA (WELLINGTON COUNTY) 1-2 CM HAIL
6.40 PM NE FERGUS (WELLINGTON COUNTY) FUNNEL CLOUD
CONFIRMED F0 TORNADO BREIF TOUCHDOWN
6.40 PM CORNWALL 1.25 CM HAIL
WIND GUSTS 75 KM/H
6.45 PM 10 KM N OF HAVELOCK
(50 KM NE OF PETERBOROUGH) POSSIBLE TORNADO
7.20 PM LINDSAY POSSIBLE TORNADO
7.30 PM SHADOW LAKE (NEAR BALSAM) POSSIBLE TORNADO
(PETERBOROUGH/KAWARTHAS REGION)
7.40 PM MOUNT ALBERT (30 KM NE OF 1 CM HAIL
NEWMARKET) NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY
IN TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR
9.15-9.30 PM OSHAWA AREA FUNNEL CLOUDS OBSERVED
11.02 PM ANGUS (20 KM W BARRIE) 2 FUNNEL CLOUDS
11.55 PM 5 KM N OF LINDSAY 3 CM HAIL
12.18 AM 5 KM NE OF COBOURG
(QUINTE-NORTHUMBERLAND REGION) 100 KM/H WIND
1.00 AM BELLEVILLE BOATS FLIPPED OVER IN
HARBOUR
1.00 AM POINT PETRE (40 KM S BELLEVILLE) WIND GUST OF 137 KM/H
1.22 AM FERGUS 100 KM/H WIND GUST
2.00 AM BOWMANVILLE FUNNEL CLOUD
3.00 AM ST CATHARINES 80 KM/H WIND GUST