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I actually had Wednesday afternoon off and decided I would drive up to Purple Valley and take a look around and see if the report in the Toronto Star had merit as a tornado or was a microburst. Also, I wanted to get some pictures for my database. I actually met up with the E.C tornado survey crew (Patrick King, David Sills and Carolyn "sorry I forgot her last name and I apologize") that were finishing up their assessment of the situation. First look, by myself before talking to them, was that this was a tornado.

From The Road Looking East

Let me say, at this point, I am not trained in tornado damage assessment. I have seen a few damage sites (Norwich F2, Fergus F1, Wichita F4 + Oklahoma F5 this year, Orangeville Microburst) but am trying to understand it with readings and visual observations for my own personal learning so forgive me if some things may turn out incorrect with my judgment/interpretation.

After talking with them, there was some interesting things that occurred with this low topped thunderstorm (appro 24,000 ft). The storm occurred between 12:20 and 1:30 pm EST . Well before the Eastern Ontario storms but within the warm sector of the system and to the east of the low pressure system.  The track was northeast from about 1/2 km north of Purple Valley just to the east of #18 road. The power lines that line the east side of the road had moved about 3 feet on an angle but did not snap or break. The tornado touched down about 10-20 feet to the east of this point and tracked to the northeast (based on my compass readings and talking with them). As I could not walk the property (could not find the owner to ask permission), I base this observation account on my own visual and talking briefly with the E.C people.

A visual of the area is difficult to write but I will try here. There was an outbuilding (N-S direction) that covers equipment immediately east of #18 approximately 60 feet from the road. Open on the west side and closed around. North of that building was a cedar fenced grazing area about 100 by 200 feet wide. Further back eastward from both these areas was an open grazing area (size unknown as I could not walk the area).

An old combine body (no attachments that I could see) around 2000 lb. was lifted up and set down 16 feet on top of a bird (As told by E.C). The difficult thing to assess from looking at the area was that the outbuilding was partial standing right near the combine (within 15 feet of it). Most of the roof was damaged/missing on the north side of it and but it was still erect and complete on the south side. Pieces of the cedar fence (E-W) that abutted to this building were scattered in the northern grazing yard in a unidirectional pattern with no common direction and some pieces were located to the northwest of the area where the fence originated indicating rotating winds. Also, on the extreme north part of the area (northwest of the building), a few pieces of the roof from the outbuilding where littered and
slightly twisted into a tree.  They also conveyed that a slab of limestone had shifted 6 feet and that wood projectiles had penetrated the ground in some areas. Some pieces of the outbuilding roof had traveled over 500 meters to the northeast and that many trees were down in that area. I wish I could have taken a good look around but I was not going to trek around someone's property without asking first.

This is my own opinion:

I think the main reason why they have not released a rating is the differences in the damage. Some areas indicate a weak tornado while others indicate a somewhat stronger one (lifting and moving the combine). I cannot offer a finally rating either. But I will give some rating speculation based on what I saw. This may, or may not, coincide with their official release.  I find a few things difficult to see. The main one is how the combine was picked up (Strong F2) and moved and yet the building was still standing but the roof damaged (F1 weak). The damage around the area should have been stripped pretty clean (at least the outbuilding should have been gone with the higher rating). Some of the trees had most of the branches stripped but initial observation was that these were young trees. An older tree to the
northwest of the building looked pretty well intact with some branches missing.

This initial assessment has left me puzzled as to what rating will arise. I can only speculate as to what they will rating it and am interested in how it correlates with mine. As this is my own opinion, I figure that rating will end up a weak F2.  Anything lower discounts the fact of the lifting of the combine as the winds would not be able to do that.  But we shall see.

Aside:

I have received information that this tornado was classified as F1 on the Fujita scale. I guess they had trouble with the combine fitting into the pattern.   If the damage assessment becomes available on the internet, I will post the link to it.

All Photos are copyrighted 1999 by Dave Patrick.  Any use other than authorized by them is against the law.  If you wish to contact me regarding use of these photos, please e-mail me. I have left any copyrights off the images to show the images unaltered digitally (except where stated)

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