Environment Canada has confirmed that two low-level tornadoes hit a rural area of Quebec, just northwest of Montreal, Friday evening, levelling buildings, uprooting trees and demolishing a 200-year-old church.
An F-1 tornado travelling at a speed of 150 kilometres per hour swept through the town of St. Benoît de Mirabel Friday at approximately 8:15 p.m., said Environment Canada meteorologist René Héroux.
This followed closely on the tail of an F-0 tornado with winds of 120 km/h that hit the town of Brownsburg-Chatham at approximately 8:00 p.m., said Héroux.
The damage caused by the low-level twisters -- the scale measuring these tornadoes ranges from F-0 to F-5 -- is estimated to be in the millions of dollars. The storms tore roofs off of houses, smashed windows, uprooted trees and knocked electrical poles to the ground.
In St. Benoît de Mirabel, the 200-year-old Grand Fresniere Presbyterian Church was reduced to rubble.
The tornadoes also knocked down 35 to 40 hydro poles, cutting electricity in the region.
The tornadoes were part of a series of storms and heavy winds that tore through the province Friday.
Mirabel resident Johanne Aubin said she took her children into the basement after struggling to keep the doors to her home closed against the howling winds.
"It lasted maybe three minutes," Aubin told CTV Montreal. "We used all our force to keep the doors closed, but the wind was just too strong."
More than 30,000 Quebecers lost electricity Friday night as a result of the extreme weather. By noon on Saturday more than 90 per cent had had their electricity restored.
According to officials, approximately six tornadoes hit the province every year.
With files from CTV Montreal's Lori Graham and Camille Ross and The Canadian Press
Environment Canada has confirmed that two low-level tornadoes hit a rural area of Quebec, just northwest of Montreal, Friday evening, levelling buildings, uprooting trees and demolishing a 200-year-old church.
An F-1 tornado travelling at a speed of 150 kilometres per hour swept through the town of St. Benoît de Mirabel Friday at approximately 8:15 p.m., said Environment Canada meteorologist René Héroux.
This followed closely on the tail of an F-0 tornado with winds of 120 km/h that hit the town of Brownsburg-Chatham at approximately 8:00 p.m., said Héroux.
The damage caused by the low-level twisters -- the scale measuring these tornadoes ranges from F-0 to F-5 -- is estimated to be in the millions of dollars. The storms tore roofs off of houses, smashed windows, uprooted trees and knocked electrical poles to the ground.
In St. Benoît de Mirabel, the 200-year-old Grand Fresniere Presbyterian Church was reduced to rubble.
The tornadoes also knocked down 35 to 40 hydro poles, cutting electricity in the region.
The tornadoes were part of a series of storms and heavy winds that tore through the province Friday.
Mirabel resident Johanne Aubin said she took her children into the basement after struggling to keep the doors to her home closed against the howling winds.
"It lasted maybe three minutes," Aubin told CTV Montreal. "We used all our force to keep the doors closed, but the wind was just too strong."
More than 30,000 Quebecers lost electricity Friday night as a result of the extreme weather. By noon on Saturday more than 90 per cent had had their electricity restored.
According to officials, approximately six tornadoes hit the province every year.
With files from CTV Montreal's Lori Graham and Camille Ross and The Canadian Press
