NTP finds curious inconsistency in 2010 Leamington, Essex County tornado data

Tornado investigation reopened Investigation launched into a Leamington tornado from 14 years ago. Ricardo Veneza explains why.

The tornadoes that hit Leamington and the surrounding areas in 2010 may have been larger and more devastating than first thought, according to newly reviewed data from the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP).

On Monday, the research initiative based in London, Ont. out of Western University revealed to CTV News a curious inconsistency in the data gathered in the Harrow area where tornadic winds hit the weather station there, outside the path observed for a tornado touching down near Colchester from Lake Erie.

“The weather station didn’t fit in any of those tracks,” said David Sills, the executive director of NTP. “That made me have a look back and realize there’s more that happened during that event than was initially documented.”

Sills said the discrepancy likely indicates the tornadoes had wider paths of damage than first thought and there may have been fewer, but larger, tornadoes than first reported.

“This is a weather station that got hit by a tornado that produced 190 km/h winds, so that really needs to line up,” said Sills.

That data review has now launched a second look at the data concerning the tornadoes that hit in the overnight hours of June 6, 2010. According to Sills, new technology, radar techniques, and tornado expertise may glean new understanding of the natural disaster.

“The more we’ve done really thorough examinations of tornado damage paths with the NTP, the more we realized the damage paths can be really wide,” said Sills. “We actually have a record width from the last few years of 2.4 kilometres, so these can get really wide.”

So far, Sills said a call for any new video or pictures before, during, or after the storms has seen a dozen new pieces of information brought forward.

Leamington tornado

The tornado that hit Leamington was a category F1 tornado with a total of four tornadoes confirmed at the time, hitting the town and surrounding areas.

At least 16 acres of greenhouse farmland, thousands of trees, and Leamington’s waterfront were decimated by the strong winds.

Despite the widespread damage, no injuries were reported. The tornado likely touched down around 3:30 a.m.

The storm knocked out power for about 4,500 Hydro One customers at the time and saw the town’s mayor, John Adams, declare a state of emergency in preparation of major clean up and recovery efforts.

“I mean, there are buildings that were totally ripped out their foundations,” Adams told CTV News in 2010.

The aftermath left millions of dollars in damage and saw the town revamp its Seacliff Marina and waterfront area.

NTP 2023 report

The NTP has recently released its 2023 season report, showing a dip in activity.

The report indicates last year was relatively quiet, with 86 documented tornadoes — down from 129 the group recorded in 2022 and 124 in 2021.

Last season also saw the fewest EF2+ tornadoes recorded with five. Since the NTP has been tracking tornadoes, the next lowest entries were in 2022 and 2021 with 31 and 30 respectively.

The NTP is accepting video and picture submissions at its website and social media accounts.