A round of severe storms in late June brought not one but two tornadoes to western New Brunswick.
That is according to an investigation conducted by the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University.
Both tornadoes, classified as EF0, touched down in northern Carleton County on the afternoon of June 30.
The first occurred in Carlow at around 3:15 p.m. and had maximum wind speeds estimated at 125 km/h.
“House and tree damage was reported in the Carlow area after a storm passed through. No injuries were reported. Satellite imagery revealed some tree damage in the area,” said the report.
The tornado travelled for just over seven kilometres and had a maximum path width of 300 metres.
About five minutes later, a second tornado touched down in the nearby community of Centre Glassville.
“Tree damage was reported in the Foreston area after a storm passed through. No injuries were reported. Satellite imagery revealed additional tree damage along the storm track,” said the report.
The tornado, which had maximum wind speeds estimated at 130 km/h, travelled for more than 16 kilometres and had a maximum path width of 650 metres.
Investigators said team members also documented possible downburst damage as a result of the storm.
“While the rotating winds of a tornado converge at the surface then rise up into the storm, often resulting in narrow paths of chaotic damage, downburst winds descend and diverge beneath the storm and result in outward burst patterns of damage or wide areas with damage mostly from the same direction,” according to Western University.
Severe thunderstorm warnings were in place for Carleton County at the time of these tornadoes. Environment Canada said they were tracking a cluster of strong thunderstorms with maximum wind gusts of between 90 and 110 km/h.
A tornado warning was later issued further east in for the Stanley – Doaktown – Blackville area, Mount Carleton – Renous Highway, and Miramichi and area.
Forecasters said they were tracking thunderstorms that radar indicated could be producing a tornado. There were no reports of any tornado touchdowns in those areas.
This was the first time that the Northern Tornadoes Project came to New Brunswick to perform a ground and drone survey following a severe weather event.
