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‘Pay attention’: Why Southern Ontario is the tornado hotspot of Canada
Summer in Ontario may bring with it warm weather, but last week’s Lucan tornado is a reminder that it’s also tornado season.
Since the start of the year, two tornadoes have touched down in Ontario, one in Lucan on June 30 and the second less than an hour away in Woodstock on May 16.
Dave Sills, director of the Northern Tornado Project at the University of Western Ontario, says Ontario is the leading province for tornadoes per year.
“It’s these summer months — June, July, August — that’s the peak for tornado activity right across Canada, but certainly in southern Ontario, this is the time where you really have to pay attention because tornadoes can happen with all of these storms that we get in this area,” Sills said.
The Northern Tornado Project has been operating since 2017, tracking and assessing tornadoes across Canada.
There were no injuries reported in the recent Lucan tornado, according to the NTP, which rated the twister as an EF0 tornado with wind speeds reaching as high as 110 kilometres per hour.
Lucan, Ont. tornado on June 30, 2025.
Photo by Dr. David Sills/Northern Tornadoes Project,
Lucan is a small village located about a 30-minute drive north of London and is part of the larger Lucan-Biddulph township.
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This is the second tornado of the year in Ontario, with the first occurring just down the road near Woodstock on May 16.
Both are located in what is considered a tornado hot spot, in the southern part of the province.
Tornadoes are rated using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which ranges from EF0 to EF5, with EF5 being the most intense.
In Canada, the aim is to give people at least a 10-minute warning before a tornado hits so they can seek shelter in time.
Every year, the NTP rates Canada’s warning preparedness with a report card. Its most recent report card for 2023 to 2024 gave an overall rating of 60.7 per cent.
While the goal for the organization is for Canada to be at 100 per cent, Sills said this is a noticeable increase from years past, with 2019 to 2021 scoring a failing grade of 37.5 per cent.
The most recent report card from the organization found that in 80 per cent of cases, it was able to issue tornado watches at least six hours before, and tornado warnings were issued 10 minutes before one struck 60 per cent of the time.
Tornado warnings are issued by Environment Canada through the Alert Ready system, which pushes notifications to all cellphones in the area and has the ability to take over radio and TV signals.
“There were still some people in the Lucan event that said they’d never got a warning on their phone. It still seems to be somewhat dependent on the network they’re on and the kind of phone they have and these kinds of things,” Sills said. “Obviously there’s still some kinks in the system that need to be ironed out, but this has come so far from 10 to 20 years ago.”
Sills says while radar is used to track when a tornado can occur, Environment Canada also needs people to report a tornado when they see it forming in order to alert the wider community.
Pointing to the Lucan tornado, Sills said it turned out a lot of people saw the storm, took pictures and video, but did not report to Environment Canada.
“Unless people contact Environment Canada about what they’re seeing, as they’re seeing it, they really have a hard time reacting quickly to a tornado kind of situation,” he said.
People can report a tornado by calling Environment Canada, emailing ONstorm@ec.gc.ca or using the #ONstorm on X.
Regardless, Sills warns people who see a tornado or receive an alert to act fast.
“If a tornado warning is issued, that means that a tornado was either occurring or Doppler radar is showing that it’s imminent, so that means you should get to shelter as soon as possible,” Sills said.
To stay safe from a tornado, it’s recommended people stay away from windows and doors to avoid debris flying through the air and when possible, seek shelter in a basement.
“A lot of times we get people sending us videos of them using their cellphone camera to record a tornado coming straight at them with debris in the air, so this is not recommended,” Sills warns.
“Take it seriously.”
— with files from Global News’ Kevin Nielsen
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
TORONTO – Myles Straw’s timing to have a career game was perfect.
The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder was in the mix to lose his roster spot with the return of George Springer before the Blue Jays throttled the Texas Rangers 14-2 on Saturday.
But with Springer back after missing 15 games with a concussion, the Blue Jays instead optioned 26-year-old Joey Loperfido to triple-A Buffalo. The 30-year-old Straw would have had to clear waivers.
With a new skinny bat compared to the thicker torpedo bat he had been employing, Straw pounded a three-run homer in the second inning and followed with a two-run blast in the same left-field area in the third for his first multihomer outing and a career-high five RBIs.
“This team is great,” Straw said. “The roster is great. Joey’s been doing phenomenal. I don’t think he could have been doing any better.
“I think there’s a really good chance he’ll probably be back with us as soon as the rosters expand (in September). He’s played his butt off, and he’s earned every single bit of being here.”
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Straw added two singles to lead the Blue Jays’ 18-hit attack with a 4-for-5 game. His play overshadowed Springer’s return.
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The 42,686 fans at Rogers Centre welcomed back Springer with a rousing ovation, leading off the bottom of the first as the Blue Jays’ designated hitter.
Springer struck out in his first two at-bats and then legged out an infield hit on a bouncer to third base before being hit by a pitch from position player Rowdy Tellez, who took to the mound for the final two innings.
“Seeing him hauling (his behind) down the line, it’s just who he is. He sets the tone for us,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.
There was some rust on Springer’s game, despite his rehab start in Buffalo on Friday, his first game since July 28, after a fastball from Baltimore Orioles Kade Strowd concussed him.
The 35-year-old Springer homered in the second of his three at-bats on Friday.
“It was really cool to hear the fans before his first at-bat,” Schneider said. “It’s just a good feeling having him back with his presence, his ability, his personality.”
Schneider also felt good about witnessing Straw’s performance.
“I remember in spring training, we had him in Group B with some of the younger guys in camp,” Schneider said. “He handled that well and just did his thing.
“He’s a pretty integral part of the clubhouse. He’s kind of tight with everybody. He understands the role that we’re asking him to play, and he’s playing it really well.”
Schneider called Straw “a winning baseball player.” He has played on winning teams, such as the Houston Astros and Cleveland Guardians.
The Astros drafted Straw, and he arrived in Toronto from Cleveland in an off-season trade.
“It feels the exact same,” said Straw when asked about the similarities to the Houston championship teams. “We’re winning. That’s what they did over there at the time, and that’s what we’re doing here.
“I feel like we win a lot of baseball games, which we do, and that’s how you win a world championship. You win games.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Myles Straw followed an early three-run homer with a two-run shot for his first career multihomer game as the Toronto Blue Jays throttled the Texas Rangers 14-2 on Saturday.
Straw ignited a six-run second inning with his three-run homer to left field and smashed his two-run blast to the same area in the third as the Blue Jays (73-51) won their third straight before 42,686 at Rogers Centre.
Straw added to his five RBI outing with two more singles to lead Toronto’s 18-hit attack with a 4 for 5 day.
Bo Bichette delivered a bases-loaded two-run double in the second, in which Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was thrown out at home trying to score from first base.
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Daulton Varsho piled on with a two-run homer as part of a three-run fifth. He reached base four times with three hits and a walk.
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With position player Rowdy Tellez on to pitch in the seventh inning, Davis Schneider also picked up a third hit with a three-run homer to left field.
Eric Lauer (8-2) left after walking the leadoff hitter in the sixth. His pitch count reached a season-high 102. He yielded a third-inning run on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
Texas lefty Patrick Corbin (6-9) departed after 2 1/3 innings, having given up seven runs on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Takeaways
Rangers: The Rangers (61-63) have lost four in a row.
Blue Jays: George Springer returned to the lineup after missing 15 games with a concussion. Batting leadoff in the designated hitter spot, he went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts, an infield hit and was hit by Tellez.
Key Moment
After committing a first-inning error on a fly ball, Schneider made a diving catch in left field in the fifth to take a possible run-scoring hit away from Jake Burger and end the inning.
Key Stat
Bichette’s two-run second-inning hit to the right-field gap was his 36th double to move him two behind AL leader Bobby Witt of the Kansas City Royals.
Up Next
Jose Berrios (9-4) will face Texas ace Nathan Eovaldi (10-3) in the series finale on Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s late-game heroics resulted in three deafening ovations from the 42,260 inside the Rogers Centre on Friday.
The first roar arrived in the seventh inning when the Toronto Blue Jays catcher smacked an opposite-field two-run homer to right.
The next inning, the sellout crowd cheered as Kirk delivered a bases-loaded single to left field to score the game-tying and game-winning runs.
But the most thunderous praise from the faithful came when Kirk caught the Texas Rangers by surprise and stole his first career base.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Kirk said through an interpreter after the 6-5 win. “Then I turned around and saw myself (standing at second base) on the scoreboard.”
The Blue Jays celebrated along with their low-key teammate’s first stolen base. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulled the base out of the ground and presented Kirk with the keepsake.
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Kirk stated the memento will soon be on display in his home. He also admitted he was surprised when first-base coach Mark Budzinski told him to steal second.
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“I looked around and said, ‘Are you serious?’” Kirk said.
Budzinski was serious. Kirk made history. He was holding on to the base during his post-game interview.
“The fact that he was holding it on the field post-game is even better,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I think they’re authenticating it.”
Although Toronto starter Chris Bassitt endured a difficult outing, lasting only five innings and giving up an early three-run homer, his night ended on a high note, watching his battery mate’s late-game wizardry.
“He’s catching (all-time base stealing leader) Rickey (Henderson) slowly,” Bassitt said with a smile.
Kirk hit his homer with an 0-1 count and his single with a 1-2 count.
“Kirk, the hitter, is pretty hard to face,” Bassitt said. “So I hate to say it, but I expect it from him. There are not many guys on our team that I’d rather have up than him because he can do damage with any kind of pitch.
“I’m always happy when he’s up late in big situations.”
This was the American League East-leading Blue Jays’ 39th comeback win of the season, and second in as many games after Guerrero belted a game-winning two-run homer in the seventh inning for a 2-1 win against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.
“I think the more you do it, the more comfortable you are when you’re in that situation,” Schneider said. “It’s not luck. It’s hard to do, but like anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it.”
Springer, Bieber updates
George Springer homered in the second of three at-bats in his rehab start for triple-A Buffalo on Friday and could return to the Blue Jays lineup on Saturday.
Righty Shane Bieber pitched seven shutout innings in Buffalo, striking out four with six hits and no walks on 90 pitches.
Bieber could make his Blue Jays debut next week, likely on the road against the Miami Marlins next Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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