A downburst, not a tornado, devastated Samuel de Champlain Park, say researchers
Northern Tornadoes Project says it was the most powerful downburst it has seen in years
Researchers with Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project have determined the devastating storm that hit Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park near Mattawa on Saturday caused a downburst.
Unlike a tornado, which produces a wind funnel from the ground up, a downburst produces strong winds that move downward from a storm.
"I know downburst doesn't necessarily sound as exciting as a tornado does, but they can cause similar levels of damage to a tornado," said Connell Miller, the Northern Tornadoes Project's acting director.
He said the downburst produced in northeastern Ontario was one of the strongest the project has catalogued in several years.
"What we saw in the area was just incredible tree damage," Miller said.
"Some tree damage that I haven't seen since the 2022 derecho that occurred in southwestern Ontario."
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Miller said trees were downed in an area spanning at least 100 square kilometres.
Those trees fell on buildings, trailers and tents in the provincial park, where they caused significant damage.
No one was killed in the storm, but some people were injured.
Colin Murphy was camping at Samuel de Champlain with his family, and told CBC News he fractured his femur in four places after a tree crushed his trailer.
Researchers with the Northern Tornadoes Project track and document significant storms across Canada.
One of the project's goals, said Miller, is to improve tornado forecasting so early warning systems can help people get to safety sooner.
"If there's a tornado warning, there's also a good chance of downbursts as well," he said.
"The same conditions that give you a tornado are likely to give you a downburst as well. It just depends on what exactly is going on with the minutia of these storms."
Miller said tornadoes are very difficult to predict. It's especially challenging to say one will occur in a specific area.
The same storm that struck Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park also hit parts of Algonquin Provincial Park, to the south.
Algonquin's Kiosk entrance did not see the same severe damage from fallen trees, but part of Highway 630, which leads to Kiosk, was closed due to washouts.
In an email to CBC News, Ontario Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Julia Caslin said the road was expected to be partially reopened later on Wednesday.
With files from Markus Schwabe