Two tornadoes have been confirmed in southwestern Ontario following severe storms that brought strong winds, heavy rain and damage to parts of the region. Environment Canada issued a tornado warning Saturday as meteorologists tracked a severe thunderstorm over the Orr’s Lake area in Cambridge. The warning said the storm was capable of producing a tornado, as well as damaging winds, large hail and locally intense rainfall. The storm was moving east at about 30 km/h, with Orr’s Lake and Galt listed among the areas in its path. In Cambridge, Patricia Hill was driving through the city after leaving Brantford when she encountered significant flooding. “I could see the volume of water on the streets and cars trying to maneuver through the water and splashing onto the side streets,” she said. “And as we progressed further… we could see that flooding had gone right into storefront windows.” Hill said water reached near the top of her vehicle’s tires as she tried to make her way through the affected area. She later discovered her vehicle had been damaged. “At the next light, I stopped and got out and looked underneath, and I saw that my engine protection shield had been ripped off from the front of the fender, and I was dragging it,” she said. “Probably mid vehicle underneath, scraping along the road side, rendering it undriveable because I didn’t want it to tear and do any more damage or puncture a tire.” She said she was eventually left waiting for a tow truck. The conditions became even more concerning when tornado warnings began appearing on people’s phones. “And then all our phones started going off with tornado warnings, imminent threat, and I didn’t know if we were in imminent danger or if it was just a geographical location, which just intensified the whole situation even more,” Patricia said. “So I’m looking up at the sky, which was black at this point.” Hill said the experience left her with questions about how emergency alerts are delivered. “Another educational experience, but it would be interesting just to see where those alerts are coming from and to directly when we get them on our phone.” The warning was issued as severe weather moved through other parts of southwestern Ontario, before the Northern Tornadoes Project later confirmed two EF0 tornadoes in Lindsay and Woodstock. Dr. David Sills, director of the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University’s Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory, said the damage reported so far has been minor. However, the investigation in the Woodstock area is continuing as researchers assess new reports of damage to help determine the tornado’s track. Sills said there may also have been tornado damage southwest of Woodstock, but no damage reports have been received from that area. Kitchener Blues Festival performances paused The storms also caused damage and disruptions throughout Waterloo Region. In downtown Kitchener, the Kitchener Blues Festival was forced to temporarily pause performances Saturday because of a tornado warning in the area. Festival organizers said the pause was made to protect patrons, volunteers, artists and staff. Jacob Miller was attending the festival when the storm moved through. “It was pretty crazy there... this storm came in [with] lots of rain and lightning. The winds were crazy. There’s just so many tents flying everywhere. People were running inside,” he recalled. Miller said the storm damaged vendor areas and left debris throughout downtown. “A lot of vendors’ stands either were blown away or just completely destroyed by the winds and the rain,” he said. “And it was just hard to see, there’s just so many people who were completely soaked.” He said there were also branches and belongings scattered throughout the area. “There’s like three branches and there’s just a lot of belongings. So it was a really big mess to clean up,” Miller said. Performances later resumed at the Europro Stage, with Miss Emily, Steve Hill and The Sugar Darlings scheduled to perform. The YNC Stage at city hall also resumed performances, while performances at the OLG Stage remained paused pending further updates. Some vendors at the festival said their tents were blown over and damaged during the storm, along with some of the goods they were selling. Woodstock crews begin cleanup The City of Woodstock said crews continued cleanup efforts Sunday, assessing and clearing additional tree damage from sidewalks, boulevards and parks. A tree contractor was also brought in to help remove larger fallen trees and debris. The city’s cricket pitch sustained damage during the storm and was closed Sunday. According to the Woodstock Police Service, no injuries were reported and there was no reported damage to public infrastructure. Police said no weather-related road closures were in effect. Damage reported across Waterloo Region There were also reports of flooding and damage in Waterloo Region, including Soper Park in Galt and damage to vehicles. A North Dumfries Township spokesperson said the municipality was “spared from the brunt of [Saturday’s] high winds and rainfall.” “[There was] limited damage to the road network, parks or facilities. Crews [Monday] and through the early part of this coming week will deal with the localized areas where spot repairs or cleanup are required,” an email statement to CTV News read in part. CTV News has reached out to other municipalities across the region for updates on storm damage and cleanup efforts.
