Waterspout on Erie becomes Tornado a few hours ago in Selkirk Ontario

[Old Ironmaker]

Location:Selkirk Ontario

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Posted 4 minutes ago (edited)

Around 5 the sky got pitch black, the wind picked up and the thunder started. The rain came down in buckets, the lights flickered a few times. lost the TV and Internet. Nothing unusual here on Erie. Around 7 I decided to go to the village and get myself a treat as my wife is working the afternoon shift at her store. I had to move some branches from behind the car. As I pulled out my neighbour Paul saw me and asked if I had been out since the storm. The lakeshore was impassable when he tried to go to town earlier and trees were across Lakeshore Drive. I headed towards town and saw Hydro trucks and Haldimand County vehicles everywhere. The graders were out pushing debris off the road. I passed a few places and saw 80' or taller Maples ripped from the lawns. 40' wide roots on Jennie's manicured Golf Course like yard. Oh my. She's standing there looking at the carnage with tears in her eyes. At the creek the OPP were there with the road blocked. I went back to the cottage to get my phone/camera. Of course I don't know how to use it, got it last Friday. Went the back way into town. Power was on and everyone was standing around looking past the OPP blockade. The story is a Waterspout was seen coming straight off the Lake heading North. It hit land and became a Tornado. It went straight up Erie Ave. and took massive trees out along the way. I am told 1 lady was taken by ambulance when a tree fell on the car she was in. I saw some singles missing on the roof and where a steel roof that was peeled back. It should be in our Newspaper sometime in July. This was a bad one. Go online and Google Tornado damage photos to see what the aftermath was, nothing like down in the States but a big thing around here. We usually deal with Blizzards.Thank goodness just trees and roofs and not homes and people.

Johnny D reporting for iboats.com, Selkirk Ontario Canada

 

[Grub54891]

Glad no one was hurt to badly. Them things can get nasty.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

https://instantweather.ca/2018/06/13...june-13-2018-/

Reports coming in already. Waterford is 40 minutes north of the lake.

Property and lives are in jeopardy and here I am upset because the dish is in and out and I'm missing Judge Judy.

 

[82rude]

Technically a water spout is a tornado.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterspout Hope people are safe .If you have a wood stove get the saw and see about getting some wood and maybe help out someone if your physically able to .Be safe though downed wires can kill instantly.Above all stay safe.I was in Barrie the day after the 1985 tornadoes hit .

 

[aspeck]

Was certainly an impressive line of storms that ran across the Mid-Atlantic ... a possible tornado touched down about 30 miles north of me and one tore through the shopping district of Wilkes-Barre, PA. We got a little rain and some wind, but nothing major.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Yep, a water spout is a Tornado in the water. I have seen more than I want to, including caught when on the water a few times fishing up north on Lake Nippising. Damage around here has been limited to trees, cars under trees and a few barns. Thankfully no serious injuries. Even downtown Toronto was hit hard. Leveled an old barn a few klics from us. Friends of ours has been without power since 5PM yesterday, they are only a few hundred meters from us down the Lake. They came by this AM for coffee. Our freezer is full so we can't fit the side of Beef they have. Looks like a neighbourhood BBQ this weekend if power isn't back soon. There isn't a single generator left in any of the stores within 100 kilometers this morning. People were lined up at 8 AM at all the Lowes and Home Depots in the city this morning. We only consider getting a genny after a storm hits then forget all about it until the next storm.

There is enough downed trees around here to build a small town. I put a few calls out to Insurance companies and our county asking if they need any help with the clean up as I have a young cousin locally getting into property maintenance. His phone has been ringing off the hook. 82rude did you guys get anything where you are?

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Was certainly an impressive line of storms that ran across the Mid-Atlantic ... a possible tornado touched down about 30 miles north of me and one tore through the shopping district of Wilkes-Barre, PA. We got a little rain and some wind, but nothing major.

And what was strange was when it got tar pitch black before the wind, thunder and lightning I went to the radar and there really wasn't anything too severe on the map. I just talked to a pal and they said the hail at their Marina a few kms away was so big they gathered some up and put it in their drinks and the kid working there filled a few bags full and put it in the freezer.

 

[82rude]

Yes we got a good down pour but that's really it unless up at camp north of us got hit too then who knows as we experience several micro bursts at camp a year sometimes and boy can they cause damage in the forest.You can always tell a micro burst vs a tornado as all the trees will be down in the same direction in a microburst.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

If you remember last spring and early summer we were getting deluged in rain. Many microburst here last year. I was constantly pulling over because I couldn't see the front of the truck. I could have fished in the yard last year at this time. We didn't have a bit of beach last year and this year the Great Lakes are up to historic levels again. 10 years or so ago freighters couldn't take on full holds the lakes were so shallow. Now the opposite.

 

[Grub54891]

Ironmaker is right, the big lake has been high for quite some time. It even affects the inland lakes, At the cabin up here, Siskiwit Lake, has not been low for a long time either.

 

[82rude]

Hear yah.Im on the end of superior and lake levels are high for sure for the last few years.Right now water temp is approx. 42 degrees .Brrrr.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Environment Canada reports EF-2 Tornados. Less than 2 KMS away and I hardly noticed a thing.

http://www.simcoereformer.ca/2018/06/16/second-tornado-hit-norwich-area

 

[southkogs]

EF rating and size are not always congruent. You can have a rather narrow EF4 and not really notice anything less than a mile away. And you have have a relatively tame EF1 that's pretty big at the base and tears up trees and roofs all over the town.

I don't like waterspouts between me and the shore ... but if they're out a little and moving away, I love watching them. Same is kinda' true for tornadoes. I can sit and watch rotations form and dissipate all day. Hate it when they try and drop by for a visit.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

We were heading due south towards the lake on day on the way to the cottage. The sky turned black and we pulled into the little Mom and Pop store maybe 500 metres from the lake. The waterspout we all watched blocked the sky. If it had turned to land we could have all been dead, luckily it turned south and was gone in a minute. I don't want to go through that again. Yep they are fun to watch, on TV.