Verified tornado count in Canada in 2021 hits the triple-digit mark
The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) investigated 400 severe weather events in 2021, verifying 100 tornadoes countrywide. As a result of the high-impact research, the group raised the confirmed count of twisters in Canada by 170 per cent.
The year 2021 had no shortage of severe weather in Canada with destructive wildfires, flooding and record-breaking heat. On top of those, there were 100 confirmed tornadoes, according to the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP).
An initiative from Western University and ImpactWX, NTP investigated 400 severe weather events in 2021, verifying 100 tornadoes countrywide. As a result of the high-impact research, the group raised the confirmed count of twisters in Canada by 170 per cent.
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By comparison, NTP was able to confirm 77 tornadoes in 2020, an increase of the verified count by 166 per cent.
Gregory Kopp, ImpactWX chair in severe storms engineering at Western and NTP/Northern Hail Project (NHP) research lead, said the tools and techniques to confirm tornadoes in Canada has "changed the landscape for extreme weather investigation."
“We are detecting and documenting many tornadoes now that would have been missed in the past, therefore getting a much clearer picture of the tornado climatology of the country, and the tornado risk in each region,” said Kopp, in a news release.
July 2021 Beachburg, Ont., tornado damage. (Connell Miller/NTP)
“Canadians also need better predictions for these events, particularly for public alerting, and our investigations are an important part of achieving that goal.”
LAST YEAR 'BIGGER AND BETTER' FOR RESEARCH
Launched in 2017 as a partnership between Western and ImpactWX, the goal of NTP is to enhance the identification of tornado occurrence across Canada, improve severe and extreme weather prediction and mitigate against harm to people and property. As well, it wants to look into future implications resulting from climate change.
“Teaming with researchers, industry partners and citizen scientists across Canada allows NTP greater access, greater coverage and most importantly, greater results,” said David Sills, NTP executive director, in a news release. “Last year was bigger and better than 2020, and we expect even more investigations in 2022 as the team grows and the pandemic protocols, hopefully, continue to lift.”
July 2021 Barrie, Ont., tornado damage. (Mark Robinson/The Weather Network)
Last year saw NTP run 340 planet satellite surveys, 52 ground surveys, 48 drone surveys and 18 aircraft surveys. The results were a new benchmark for the research team, it said.
Another part of NTP's accomplishments in 2021 was the acquisition of sleek technology including a state-of-the-art vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone. This enables research engineer Connell Miller and field team investigators to record higher quality images and video, as well as more accurate damage survey data.
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Western works with a number of partners in its research, and in 2021, NTP forged new collaborations with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, Instant Weather and Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ).
Adding to their extensive severe weather research, after the success of NTP, Western University and ImpactWX recently announced the addition of the Northern Hail Project (NHP). It will document the frozen phenomenon in Canada to get a full picture of the risk associated with it.
Thumbnail courtesy of Connell Miller.
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