Somber anniversary: Deadly tornadoes hit the Barrie area 33 years ago

Pictures from the Barrie tornado in 1985 (Courtesy: Dale Pearson)

It’s been 33 years since a deadly and powerful series of tornadoes touched down in the Barrie area.

The EF-4 tornado that hit Barrie on May 31, 1985 took the lives of eight people, including four children.

Six hundred homes and more than 50 businesses were destroyed in the city. Extensive damage and deaths were also reported in the Tottenham and Grand Valley areas.

Altogether, more than 40 tornadoes touched down that day in Ontario, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York State.

The tornadoes caused what would now be about $1 billion in damage.