Tornado hit Perth area Wednesday evening, experts confirm
Twister damaged trees and power lines
Many people living around Perth in eastern Ontario are left cleaning up the aftermath of a tornado that touched down in their area Wednesday night.
The tornado was part of a powerful storm system that damaged power lines and uprooted trees.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) both believe it developed sometime between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Video evidence captured the twister on Christie Lake, southwest of Perth, the weather agency said.
"[Confirmation] was issued based on strong evidence from the radar data, but afterwards, we saw video evidence of an actual tornado over Christie Lake," said meteorologist Gerald Chang.
Environment and Climate Change Canada does not yet know where the tornado formed or touched down, Chang said, but more will be known in the coming days as they investigate.
High winds damage home, power lines
Kevin Nagle, owner of Blitzen Estate Christmas tree farm in Jasper, said his property was hit by extreme weather that, despite lasting roughly 30 seconds, caused plenty of damage.
He said a large maple tree, which he estimated is around 27 metres tall, was ripped from the ground and hit his home.
"We were going to go out to dinner and then right away the clouds started swirling, the rain started coming in hard in all directions and then we heard a big thud," he said.
"So we got into the basement with all our animals … the tree hit our house and bounced off the house and fell right by the window [where] we were watching everything going on."
Nagle added that he was able to go outside to assess the harm shortly after, noting that fences, power lines, a TV tower and trees on his property were damaged.
"You can go down this whole road and you'll see houses that were touched and houses that weren't touched at all. So it was very isolated and very concentrated in the areas it was in," Nagle said.
"We count ourselves lucky … it could have been a lot worse."
NTP set to arrive in Perth Friday
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, an NTP researcher indicated damage was spotted near Rideau Ferry, Ont., as well as along Scotch Line.
Researchers with NTP are expected to arrive in Perth on Friday.
"Once we get there, we can do our survey. We have drones with us. That'll be a big help because lots of the damage there is going to be in areas that don't have access to the road," said NTP engineering researcher Aaron Jaffe.
"With all our equipment and our drones, we should be able to confirm exactly what happened."
Jaffe added that the NTP will also be investigating potential tornados in the Montreal area, southern Quebec and across eastern Ontario in general.
The group also confirmed a tornado touched down in Brossard, Que., on Montreal's South Shore Wednesday night.
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With files from Joseph Tunney