Environment Canada is investigating a possible tornado that may have touched down in the Tasso Lake area in Lake of Bays.
Environment Canada Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Steven Flisfeder tells the MyMuskokaNow.com newsroom they received reports of the tornado touching down Tuesday evening during the storm that went through Muskoka. He adds they got reports of downed trees and one report of a boat being flipped. “These were mostly worth of mouth reports,” he goes on to say, adding they only recently got pictures of what happened.
The University of Western Ontario’s Northern Tornadoes Project team has been called in to investigate, but Flisfeder says they’re preoccupied with a potential tornado in Penetanguishene. The team has more evidence of a tornado in that area, so he explains that’s why it’s their priority. “Radar imagery from that area did show some pretty significant rotation in the storm,” he says of that storm, adding nothing has been confirmed as of Wednesday afternoon.
Flisfeder says it’s possible the storm continued towards Huntsville, but it’s hard to confirm since our area is just on the edge of the radar data they have. An investigation is likely to take a “couple of days” according to Flisfeder.
He thinks it was likely just a downburst. When storms with high winds and lots of rain pop up, they are possible – just like tornadoes. “There is significant wind associated with both,” he explains. “The difference is with a tornado there would be rotation associated as well.”
If anyone has pictures or video from the Tuesday storm when it touched down in the Tasso Lake area, Flisfeder asks you to email [email protected] or tweet it using the hashtag “#onstorm.”