Ontario's sixteenth tornado of the season confirmed

Thursday, September 4, 2014, 12:27 PM - Ontario's sixteenth tornado of the 2014 season touched ground on August 20, according to Environment Canada.

The twister was spotted in the Erin area at about 6:30 p.m. and footage showed up online shortly after.

Environment Canada used the video evidence to confirm that there was a "weak and short-lived" tornado in the area.

The tornado has been classified as an EF0 with wind speeds between 90 and 130 km/h.

This brings the total number of confirmed tornadoes in Ontario up to 16. Ontario normally sees about 12 tornadoes every year, specifically in the period between late April and early October.

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ARE TORNADOES BECOMING MORE FREQUENT?

A study published earlier this year suggests that the strength and frequency of tornadoes hitting the United States has risen sharply since the 1950s.

There are a few theories about the upswing in tornadic activity. Some experts say it could be due to our changing climate while others attribute it to the increased number of people reporting severe weather via social media.

With files from Cheryl Santa Maria