KAWARTHA LAKES-A group from the Northern Tornadoes project will be in the Manilla area today to investigate a possible tornado.
A storm blew through the area on Thursday afternoon toppling trees and flattening homes and barns. One person was injured after a home collapsed. Read more here:https://www.kawartha411.ca/2021/07/16/significant-damage-in-parts-of-kawartha-lakes-due-to-extreme-weather-on-thursday/
The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP), founded in 2017 as a partnership between Western University and ImpactWX, aims to better detect tornado occurrence throughout Canada, improve severe and extreme weather understanding and prediction, mitigate against harm to people and property, and investigate future implications due to climate change according to its website.
Western University also partners with the University of Manitoba, Pelmorex’s The Weather Network, Instant Weather and CatIQ, and closely collaborates with Environment and Climate Change Canada and several Canadian and international universities on this Project.
The crew will be in Barrie this morning and then moving along the path of damage through Udora and on to Manilla.
Environment Canada Meteorologist Steven Flisfeder told Kawartha 411 News there is one confirmed tornado from the storm on Thursday in Barrie. It’s been classified as an EF1. They are investigating two other possible tornadoes, one in Udora and one in Manilla.
“They will be looking to confirm or reclassify them as a downburst,” Flisfeder said. “Conditions from a meteorological standpoint, it was a very good set up for tornado to be possible. With the low-level heat and the low-level moisture which serves as a fuel for the heat. That along with a cold front that acts as a lifting mechanism, adding to that some rotation in the low levels.”
