Two tornadoes may have hit Fort Erie, says Environment Canada meteorologist

It’s possible Fort Erie was struck by more than one tornado on Monday: one that hit parts of Stevensville and another that caused significant damage in the Garrison Road area before moving over Lake Erie to Buffalo.

That’s according to Environment Canada meteorologist Peter Kimbell.

Kimbell explained to Fort Erie Radio early Tuesday afternoon that the magnitude of the tornado on this side of the border has yet to be officially determined, but there were reports it registered as a one on a scale of zero to five in the U.S.

The first tornado is believed to have formed at about 11 a.m. and the one that hit the southeast end of town and made its way over the lake was reported to have occurred at about 12:45 p.m.

“It’s likely a second storm triggered that tornado,” said Kimbell.

He added that tornadoes in Niagara are “infrequent” but that they have touched down in the past, but did not have data immediately available to pinpoint where and in what year.

“Certainly, there have been some,” he said.

The weather event “developed quite rapidly” and was difficult for weather experts to notice on radar, which is why there was no warning issued for the area, he explained.

“It was a very difficult storm to warn for,” he said, noting “there was not a visible rotation” on Doppler radar.

“Bigger ones are more distinctive,” he noted.

He admitted the event was a bit of a fluke and compared it to someone winning the lottery.

“It’s very unlikely you’re going to win the lottery, but someone wins every week,” he said.

The Northern Tornadoes Project, a group from Western University in London, Ontario, was expected to be in the area Tuesday to assess the weather event and deem a classification, said Kimbell.

There were reports on social media of extensive damage to rural properties in Stevensville.

Images of a camper being overturned in the parking lot of the Fort Erie Walmart were also circulating.

At the RONA store on Garrison Road, the roof to a warehouse at the rear of the property was ripped off the building, partially landing in the backyard of a home behind it.

Jeff Hill, store manager, estimates the damage to be about $600,000, which also includes things like drywall and insulation that were destroyed by rain Tuesday as the structure remained uncovered.

Hill lives near his store and was in his driveway when the tornado hit.

“I heard this noise and the roof was flying in the air,” Hill told Fort Erie Radio.

“It was the craziest thing I’ve seen in my life,” he added, noting how thankful he is that nobody was injured, including one staff member who was inside the warehouse when the roof flew off.

“That’s the best part, that nobody got hurt,” he said.

The portion of the metal roof that came off is about 80 feet by 40 feet, he said.

Hill estimated it could take up to a year to get the warehouse fully restored.

“We’ll work through it,” he said.

The Fort Erie Fire Department, by 2 p.m. on Tuesday, had not responded to inquiries made by Fort Erie Radio.

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