Tornado hits Woodstock and area with minor damage reported

Parts of Woodstock experienced flooding during the Aug. 8 storm and tornado. Several large trees also came down causing property damage. (Facebook Photo)

Lee Griffi, Editor

The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) has confirmed that a tornado did touch down in Woodstock on Saturday, Aug. 8.

The weather incident came 47 years and one day after a devastating F4 tornado tore through Woodstock and the surrounding area on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 1979. It was an F4 on the Fujita scale, killed two people, injured 142 and caused more than $100 million in property damage at the time. Just to put that number in perspective – in today’s economy it would have been roughly $270 million.

“We are now confirming a weak tornado at Woodstock, ON this afternoon. There were many photos and videos, including one video showing the tornado doing minor damage. We are assigning a preliminary EF0 rating to both this Woodstock tornado and the Lindsay, Ontario tornado from earlier in the day,” said a statement from NTP.

It added because the damage reported so far is minor, they are not planning to send a survey team.

“That could change if evidence of more significant damage emerges. You can send reports of significant damage to us at ntp@uwo.ca,” added the statement.

Residents took to social media, posting videos and photos of downed trees, flooded roads and other damage.

The Echo reached out to Oxford County and the City of Woodstock for reports of damage.

“Storm impacts for Oxford County roads and operations were minimal, limited to a small number of shoulder washouts on County roads in the west, and minor clean-up at the Oxford Road 2/Dundas Street construction site,” said Frank Gross, the county’s senior manager of transportation.

City crews responded to several downed trees and localized street flooding following Saturday’s storm. Staff worked throughout the weekend to clear debris from city roads, sidewalks, and hydrants, and that cleanup is now largely complete.

“Work is now focused on downed trees in parks and remaining limbs and branches on boulevards. We are also inspecting playgrounds and parks for flood-related issues, including areas where mulch was washed out and will need to be repaired. The fence at the cricket pitch was damaged and will be fixed. Stumps from removed trees will be addressed, though they may remain in place for a short time,” said a city statement.

“We have been made aware of some damage to private property, including several vehicles struck by falling trees and homes with minor damage. Those city-owned trees have been removed, and we expect additional private property reports as the week continues. Staff are still assessing the overall impact and continue to inspect standing trees in the storm area,” it added.

The storm was part of a broader severe-weather system that moved across southern Ontario. A muggy air mass, a westward-moving cold front and lake-breeze boundaries helped create an environment favourable for thunderstorms and rotation. Several tornado warnings were issued during the afternoon.

The first reported tornado Saturday was near Lindsay, shortly after 1 p.m. The Woodstock report came around 3:30 p.m. The NTP subsequently confirmed both as EF0 tornadoes. Anywhere from 55 to 65 mm of rain fell on Saturday afternoon.