An investigation has confirmed that three microbursts occurred in the Wallaceburg and Petrolia areas during last week’s thunderstorms.
The Northern Tornadoes Project ground/drone survey team conducted an investigation at three locations on July 16, which confirmed the microbursts, which are localized columns of sinking air or a downdraft.
The first microburst occurred north of Oil Springs at around 5:15 p.m. on Friday. The weather event caused damage to a large machine shed and trees in the Oil City area. The microburst had an estimated max wind speed of 125 km/h.
The second microburst occurred just north of Wallaceburg at around 6:30 p.m., causing minor roof damage to a home and tree damage. Several powerline poles were also snapped. The max wind speed of the microburst was estimated at 145 km/h.
The third weather event occurred in the town of Wallaceburg at 6:45 p.m. with the microburst causing tree damage and minor roof when the storm passed through the area. The max wind speed was estimated at around 125 km/h.
No injuries were reported at any of the locations.
The Northern Tornadoes Project was founded at Western University in 2017 to better detect tornados throughout Canada and improve severe and extreme weather understanding.
