LaSalle, ON (DONE)


Cone tornado cuts through town, leaves trail of snapped trees & damaged homes


The August 24, 2016, EF1 tornado at LaSalle, Ontario. This tornado touched down over the Detroit River not long after its parent supercell developed explosively as it crossed the Michigan-Ontario border. It then tore a swath directly through the south side of LaSalle, ripping a path to the northeast. It came ashore at the Island View Marina near Victory Street and Front Road, flinging boats through the air and snapping trees along the shoreline. From there it moved into blocks of houses, striking Runsteidler Drive, Jolly Avenue and Victory Street. As it passed through the neighbourhood, windows were shattered, siding and roofing was torn from homes, and trees were uprooted, snapped and shorn off at their tops. At one home, the twisted remains of a trampoline were left sitting atop the roof. Moving on from Victory Street, the tornado passed through open fields and dissipated before reaching the Essex Golf and Country Club and Gilbert Park. Its path was 2km long and between 250m and 300m wide.

As it developed over the river the tornado was caught on film and reported by storm chaser/spotter Mark Robison. He then tracked it as it moved through the community and out into open farmland. As it went it was also caught in photos and on video by stunned residents, a tapered cone that was fully condensed to the ground. It was classic in appearance, a photogenic Wizard of Oz twister that was a sight much more familiar to the plains of Tornado Alley than to Southern Ontario. Indeed, it is possible that the highly visible nature of the tornado contributed to the fact that there were no injuries despite the lack of warning.

App icon
Highways & Hailstones Stars
Broadcast your Live Storm Chase
App Store Google Play
App icon
Broadcast your Live Storm Chase
HD Live Streaming, Radar, Social Media Multicasting & Integrations, Chase Logs & more
Get App
Not Now