Investigators with the Northern Tornadoes Project have confirmed at least one tornado touched down in the London area following Tuesday’s powerful storm. The south and east ends of London were hit the hardest, along with several spots in the county. In an update on Wednesday afternoon, the Northern Tornadoes Project has confirmed a tornado did occur just southeast of London at Derwent. The organization says video, radar and a preliminary investigation done Tuesday evening provided the necessary evidence. An NTP survey team will visit the area to determine intensity and track. PHOTOS: High speed storm sweeps through southern Ontario The tail end of the extreme weather event was caught on camera by a local realtor returning from a showing. Matt Barr had just stopped to fill his SUV with gas at a truck stop near Belmont. As he attempted to leave, he said the swirling winds hit. “I noticed that the big wall of like black beside me, and I thought, ‘Holy moly, what is that?’ And then I realized it’s like a tornado. And then I realize, I’m in a tornado!” he said. Just moments before crossing Barr’s path, the storm had already impacted areas of Lambeth and south London. He considers himself fortunate that it was not strong enough to cause injury and that he was able to catch the last moments of the system passing on video. Meanwhile, the most widespread damage occurred in east London in areas bounding the intersection of Clarke Road and Trafalgar. Trees were down on multiple streets, including on Merlin Crescent. At one residence, homeowners reported they hid downstairs moments before the tree came down on their roof. Across the street, Roy Manley and his wife were watching as tree branches, fences and gazebos flew by their windows. “It was a roar. Like a train or something like that. It was a frightening couple of minutes, let’s put it that way,” he recalled. Two streets over, on Atkinson Boulevard, a large tree blocked roads and knocked out power. The winds were so strong that an awning from a home was lodged in a tree. “The wind and rain were coming down so hard you couldn’t even see six inches past the window. And then I knew things were starting to topple,” said resident John Vezina. Atkinson was just one street of many affected by power outages. London Hydro crews worked through the night and into Thursday, attempting to restore power. Meanwhile, tree removal crews, including those from Family Tree Arborists, worked to clear debris. Its owner, Mark Canaran, was taken aback by the widespread damage when compared to similar storms of the past. “I came down the road, and I was in awe. I was amazed,” he said. “I would say this [the damage] is like a six out of 10 or six out of 10.” But what Mother Nature threw at this area remains up for debate. “It might have been a tornado because there was swirling,” said resident Randal Simmons. Looking at the damage to the roof of the three-storey apartment on Trafalgar, his analogy seems probable. Yet, the experts from Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project will use a set of criteria to determine if it was a weak twister or downburst that tore through. “Things like the length and width of the damage, whether trees and debris are all going in one direction or whether they’re going in different directions. You can look at the radar to get clues that way as well,” confirmed Aaron Jaffe, the lead researcher of the team on site. Tuesday’s twister marks Canada’s second tornado so far in 2026, after a weak EF-0 touched down near Granton, Ont. on May 12.
