It’s not something you hear about often in B.C., but researchers say intense wind recorded earlier this week on the Sunshine Coast was actually connected to a weak late-season tornado.
Members of Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project say evidence shows a low-scale tornado touched down near Sechelt, B.C. at around 10:40 a.m. on Monday, with winds reaching up to 115 km/h.
The tornado felled trees, some of which dropped onto power lines and roads, but researchers say there were no reported injuries.
On the five-point Enhanced Fujita Scale, which is used to measure tornado intensity, Monday’s came in at an EF0 — the lowest ranking, indicating there was light damage.
Researchers have confirmed a tornado hit near Sechelt, B.C., on Nov. 4. Dozens of trees fell as winds hit speeds of an estimated 115 km/hour, according to evidence reviewed by Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project.
According to the tornado project’s online dashboard, the last tornado recorded in B.C. was on Aug. 27 when someone took a photo of a waterspout over Mabel Lake. It was also rated as an EF0. No damage was reported.
“I have never seen the movement of trees and wires like this,” Halfmoon Bay resident, Lynn Smith, told CBC News.
She posted a video to Facebook Monday morning, showing a tree crashing to the ground and landing across the Sunshine Coast Highway. That’s when she knew she needed to turn around and get out of there, she said.
“I’m thinking this is like out of a movie. In my rearview mirror, I see a second [tree], a third, a fourth, just one after the other. Like dominoes coming up behind me.”
Darren Hemstreet said he noticed how windy it was outside when he and his co-worker got out of their truck.
“It really came in and just took the tops off the trees at first,” he said. “And within a matter of seconds, it literally just grabbed them and threw them all over the houses.”
Hemstreet said after checking on some people inside of their homes, he was stranded because the truck was blocked in by debris.
“There was probably between, you know, like maybe a three- or four-block radius that at least 100 trees were blown over.”
He said they landed on power lines, houses and cars.
“Yeah, it was pretty, pretty brutal, actually.”
The tornado came amidst a windstorm that struck much of B.C.’s south and central coasts and parts of its Interior on Monday. Around 300,000 B.C. Hydro customers lost power, and some still remained without it on the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday afternoon, according to the utility company.
B.C. Hydro said it was hoping to have it fully restored by the evening.
