According to Environment Canada; “In Canada, during an average year, approximately 80 tornadoes occur and, on average, cause two deaths and 20 injuries, plus tens of millions of dollars in property damage. These are the reported numbers; many more tornadoes strike unpopulated areas and go undetected.”
Canada has its own Tornado Alley which covers the areas of:
- British Columbia interior
- Province of Alberta
- Southern Saskatchewan through southern Manitoba to Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Southern Ontario
- Southeastern Quebec
- Western New Brunswick
Here are the top ten tornadoes in Canada listed in order of deaths and injuries:
Regina, Saskatchewan
- June 30th, 1912
- 28 Dead, Hundreds Injured
- Rated: F4
Nicknamed the Regina Cyclone, this tornado touched down 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Regina and headed north. The funnel was three blocks wide and demolished the downtown core of Regina.
Edmonton, Alberta
- July 31st, 1987
- 27 Dead, 300 Injured
- Rated: Strong F4
Known as Black Friday, a tornado formed in Beaumont, east of the Edmonton airport. This twister struck the southeast side of Edmonton and then headed north. It ripped through refineries and demolished a trailer park.
Windsor, Ontario
- June 17th, 1946
- 17 Dead, Hundreds Injured
- Rated: F3/F4
Nicknamed the Windsor to Tecumseh Tornado, this twister originally touched down south of Detroit, Michigan and crossed the Detroit River into Windsor. It struck the south end of Windsor and proceeded east to the town of Tecumseh.
Pine Lake, Alberta
- July 14th, 2000
- 12 Dead, 140 Injured
- Rated: F3
Pine Lake is located 150 km (95 miles) northeast of Calgary and is a popular recreational area. Thunderstorms from the Rocky Mountains formed a super cell and the funnel touched down 5 km (3 miles) west of the Green Acres Campground. Tents and trailers belonging to 700 campers were ripped apart and tossed.
Valleyfield, Quebec
- August 16th, 1888
- 9 Dead (est), 14 Injured
- Rated: unknown
Records indicate that the twister touched down in Lancaster Township, Ontario and crossed into Quebec at St-Zotique, and on to Valleyfield. There was extensive damage to property but details were unknown due to sketchy record keeping in the 19th century.
Windsor, Ontario
- April 3, 1974
- 9 Dead, 30 Injured
- Rated: F3
This tornado was part of the infamous North American Tornado Swarm or Super Outbreak of 1974. A twister on the Detroit River landed on the east end of Windsor and then headed south west, demolishing a curling club. The path of this tornado was only about 1 mile from the 1946 tornado.
Barrie, Ontario
- May 31st, 1985
- 8 Dead, 155 Injured
- Rated: F3/F4
The tornadoes in Southern Ontario were part of a major outbreak that struck Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The twister that hit Barrie touched down 10 km (6 miles) southwest of the city and destroyed the south end. The funnel proceeded to Lake Simcoe where it tossed boats that were moored in a marina.
Sudbury, Ontario
- August 20th, 1970
- 6 Dead, 200 Injured
- Rated: F3
The funnel first touched down in Lively and ripped through Copper Cliff before hitting Sudbury. Extensive damage was sustained at the INCO smelter in Copper Cliff. An hour later, another tornado landed 50 km (30 miles) east of Sudbury.
St-Rose, Quebec
- June 14th, 1892
- 6 Dead, 26 Injured
- Rated: unknown
Very little information is available due to lack of records. St-Rose is located north of Montreal.
Bouctouche, New Brunswick
- August 6th, 1879
- 5 Dead, 10 Injured
- Rated: F3
Bouctouche is located northeast of Moncton. The tornado ripped arches from a bridge and destroyed a convent. This event remains as the strongest easternmost tornado to occur in North America.
The last record-breaking tornado occurred in 2000. There’s been no change in eight years, which is good.
Maureen K. Fleury - Maureen joined Suite101 in March 1999 as a Contributing Editor and worked her way up as a Managing Editor and Senior Managing Editor. In ...
