Rope tornado touches down in town, witnesses watch & film as minor damage occurs
This tornado had a classic, Wizard of Oz appearance, a slender serpentine twister that snaked its way downward. It was witnessed by several local residents, as well as by an off duty Environment Canada official who was golfing in the area at the time. Witnesses captured photographs and videos of the long rope funnel cloud approaching the ground, and reported seeing a swirl of debris at its base. Very minor tree and house damage occurred, with some losing shingles.
The tornado developed on a day when particularly severe weather was not forecast. It was spawned by a relatively weak, garden variety thunderstorm that developed along the Lake Erie lake breeze front. As the storm sat on and interacted with the boundary, there was just enough localized shear to generate the twister. The touchdown occurred at 7:00 pm.
