Two tornadoes and a downburst were confirmed in the Tavistock, Ont. area following a line of intense thunderstorms that moved through southwestern Ontario last week, according to the University of Western Ontario’s Northern Tornadoes Project. The Northern Tornadoes Project team said a ground and drone survey, along with an analysis of the results, confirmed the three weather events that occurred on Sept. 2. The first tornado began west of Tavistock and tracked into the community, causing minor damage to trees and house shingles. It was rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with estimated maximum winds of 125 km/h. The tornado began at about 5:23 p.m. and travelled 6.24 kilometres, with a maximum path width of 410 metres. The Northern Tornadoes Project said a clear path through crops was visible along its route. A second tornado developed near Shakespeare, north of Tavistock, about two minutes later and tracked southeast. It was rated EF1, with estimated maximum winds of 155 km/h. The tornado travelled 8.29 kilometres and had a maximum path width of 420 metres. “It’s far more complicated than usual. We’ve got two tornadoes that are basically coming in from the west and then converging at an area where there’s a burst down, so that’s pretty unusual to have that,” said David Sills, the director of Northern Tornadoes Project. Both tornadoes converged toward a downburst that developed east of Tavistock and travelled more than 17 kilometres toward the east-southeast. The downburst was rated EF0, with estimated maximum winds of 125 km/h. Damage to trees, farm outbuildings and the roof of a home was reported. No injuries were reported in any of the three events. The Northern Tornadoes Project completed its ground surveys on Sept. 4. Tornado cleanup continues The Northern Tornadoes Project said several farm buildings were damaged, including a barn, along with trees and crops. The damage was concentrated along a path beginning southeast of Shakespeare. In the Tavistock area, Wade Nicklas and Angie Brenner said their family farm was decimated with a chicken barn destroyed and trees ripped in half. The pair told CTV News that their 18-year old daughter was at home at the time of the Wednesday storm. “When we pulled in, all I wanted to do was make sure that our daughter was okay,” Nicklas recalled. “Once I saw Ainsley at the door, I was feeling a lot better. And then after that, there was a lot of shock to see all the yard and everything in pieces.” The storm’s path was clearly visible with multiple buildings on the property impacted and crops flattened. While no one was injured and the chicken barn was mostly empty, the family said the storm left an emotional toll. “We definitely lost pretty well 100 per cent of the chicken barn and a bunker roof. Then half of our show and drive shed is flattened, and our house roof had a big tree in the middle of it,” Nicklas explained. The family is now asking for people to respect their privacy while they pick up the pieces. “If you want to stop by or have any questions, it’s best to breach out to me or Angie because the kids aren’t used to so many strange vehicles in the yard,” Nicklas said.
