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It’s been 30 years since Ontario’s devastating Black Friday. A swarm of tornadoes touched down stretching from Leamington in the southwest, to Rice Lake in eastern Ontario on May 31, 1985.

How an infamous tornado outbreak taught us to be safer


Leeanna McLean
Digital Reporter

Saturday, May 30, 2015, 9:27 PM - It’s been 30 years since Ontario’s devastating Black Friday. A swarm of tornadoes touched down stretching from Leamington in the southwest, to Rice Lake in eastern Ontario on May 31, 1985.

Original reports indicate there were 13 tornadoes that Friday afternoon, however, in 2013, Environment Canada (EC) updated the total number to 14. Of the 14, the two major twisters were both category F4 (predates the EF rating system). The first F4 was on the ground for over 100 km and remains to this day Canada’s longest tracking tornado. Areas in the path hardest hit included Grand Valley and Tottenham.


Courtesy: Brett Hirons

The F4 tornado that killed eight in Barrie was the deadliest. It spawned near Canadian Forces Base Borden and spun all the way to Lake Simcoe with winds estimated in excess of 350 km/h.

The tragic day that killed a total of 12 and left some 300 injured, served as a lesson in emergency preparedness, as many communities had never experienced such a severe weather event.

“It gave people awareness that we’re not immune to disasters,” Barrie fire chief John Lynn told Barrie Advance.

Lynn was a young firefighter getting ready to head into work that afternoon in 1985.



Forecasting has become much more precise and communication technology has improved vastly since Black Friday. With the advent of social media, warning messages are sent at a rapid rate, allowing communities to connect with each other.

Residents only had a few minutes to get to safety during the 80s. Currently, EC and its American counterpart, the National Weather Service, are able to warn people of an incoming tornado 10 to 15 minutes in advance and experts predict that will likely increase in the future.

“It’s really since then that our emergency plans in Ontario have become much more significant and our ability to partner in the planning phase – as well as the response phase – has really changed,” Cathy Clark, manager of Simcoe Country’s 911 and emergency planning told the Barrie Examiner.

Here are five ways tornado warnings are improving since Black Friday:

Alert Ready

Alert Ready is a system that delivers immediate warnings when there’s imminent danger from extreme weather, natural disasters, bio-hazards, terrorist threats and other life-threatening events. It allows government agencies across Canada to issue public-safety messages to audiences on television and radio easier and quicker than before.

The Sirens Project

Funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign, The Sirens Project is expected to roll out sometime this month, sending three altered wing drones into the field in the hopes of gathering information as they fly into tornadoes. The custom unmanned aerial vehicles will record data and send it back via radio signal.

The WoF

In the U.S., a team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is working on a system called Warn-on Forecast (WoF). The intent is to double the warning time available when tornadoes form.

To extend the 15 minute peak, WoF was started five years ago. It combines high-resolution surface, satellite and radar data to create models that are capable of predicting weather hazards like tornadoes 30 to 60 minutes before they form.

Weatheradio

EC’s Weatheradio is a small handheld device with a network of radio transmitters stretching from the Gulf of Mexico into Canada’s Arctic. These transmitters provide continuous broadcasts of weather information and instant updates when weather threatens.

Over 90 per cent of Canadians can access a Weatheradio signal, and recent technological advances make it possible for listeners to program Weatheradio receivers to deliver only certain types of warnings for their specific locations. In 2011, the Canadian government issued these devices to schools across Canada.

Wireless Emergency Alert

The United States, which undeniably sees more tornado and severe storm activity than Canada, has implemented the Wireless Emergency Alert System. Instead of sending out alerts to television and radio stations, this system sends notifications to cellphones.


Courtesy: Murray Berger

The population of Barrie has grown significantly since May 1985 and much of the affected area has been developed.

“Barrie was not as big as a city as it is now. The entire 1985 outbreak cost $100 million dollars in damages, if that were to happen now, it would be closer to a billion dollar disaster,” said The Weather Network’s Chris Murphy. “The tornado that hit Barrie has been described as leaving damage one would more associate with a Kansas twister. This was something we were not used to seeing and hope to never again.”

Courtesy: Brett Hirons

Remembering Ontario’s Black Friday on Facebook:

“I lived in New Lowell at the time but I had gone to the Toronto airport to pick up a friend from B.C. The tornado followed us all the way home. It cut across our path and went through an area where the cubs and scouts were setting up for the weekend. You could see where it went heading through bush but heading past New Lowell and we could see sheets of metal flying through the air. I had a son and 2 step children waiting for me at home. We drove into Barrie later that night and saw such devastation at the Barrie Fair Grounds.” –- Nancy Lynn

“We still live in the home we lived in during the tornadoes of 1985. We live in Amaranth between Grand Valley and the Mono Plaza that was hit. There are many details of the day May 31st, 1985 that I remember in great detail and others I can't recall for the life of me. I was 6 months pregnant with my second daughter, and on my way home from work in Brampton when the tornado destroyed our home and the two homes just north of ours.” –- Kim Beckner

“This is in regards to the survivors of the 85 tornado in grand valley. I lived north of Shelburne at the time and was amidst a cluster of three houses that were hit. I was ten at the time and remember seeing the tornado come towards my house. We lost the barn and garage and then our barn was rebuilt by Mennonites through the tornado relief organization. I now live in grand valley.” –- Joy Linkletter-Appleyard

“I lived on the fourth line of Mono along with my children and now ex-husband. My house was completely destroyed, along with almost every tree on the 10 acres. Hard to believe it was 30 years ago, because it still seems like yesterday.” –- Terry Jeavons Lawson

“I was five and lived in Grand Valley when the tornado went through. I will never forget it. We had barn beams in the bathroom, a car in the driveway totaled by a tree, and our elderly neighbours lost the roof and back wall of their home.” -- Amy O’Donnell

Share your Ontario Black Friday memories on our Facebook page

Sources: The Weather Network | Barrie Examiner | Barrie Advance 

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