Strong tornado in Ontario

What began as an ordinary Sunday on August 21, 2011, became anything but ordinary for residents of Goderich, Ontario, as an EF-3 tornado (winds between 136-165 mph) ripped through their historic town.

Environment Canada’s local weather forecast had called for non-severe thunderstorms across the lower Great Lakes region but at 3:48 p.m. EDT, it issued a tornado warning to alert local residents that a severe thunderstorm was moving southeastward over Lake Huron. The storm had already produced tornadoes and was likely to produce more. Unfortunately, most residents didn’t get the warning and weren’t aware the storm had already spawned a tornadic waterspout that was approaching them.

Minutes later, the twister roared ashore and into downtown Goderich, killing one person and injuring 37 more. It was the strongest tornado to hit Ontario in more than 15 years, causing $75 million in damages.