ELORA – It wasn’t a tornado that hit Elora but a Western University research team and meteorologists have confirmed a downburst in the area.
The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) along with Environment Canada meteorologists have confirmed an EF0 downburst hit the area with winds near 130 km/hr on Wednesday with damage documented over an area seven km long and up to two km wide.
An NTP FAQ page stated the difference between a tornado and a downburst is rotating winds in a tornado converge at the surface then rise up into the storm resulting in narrows paths of chaotic damage while downburst winds descend and diverge beneath the storm and result in outward burst patterns of damage or wide areas with damage mostly from the same direction.
The NTP is a partnership between Western University and Impact WX that aims to better detect tornado occurrence throughout Canada.
The @westernuNTP and @ECCCWeatherON teams in Elora ON today confirmed an EF0 downburst in the area. Damage was documented over an area at least 7 km long and up to 2 km wide, with additional data continuing to be reviewed. #ONstorm https://t.co/rvKHrljRQg
— Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 (@westernuNTP) August 5, 2022
