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