List of Canadian tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
This page lists tornadoes and tornado outbreaks which have touched down in Canada. On average, there are around 80 confirmed and unconfirmed tornadoes that touch down in Canada each year. The most common types are F0 to F2 in damage intensity level and usually result in minor structural damage to barns, wood fences, roof shingles, chimneys, uprooted or snapped tree limbs and downed power lines. Less than 5% of tornadoes in Canada are rated F3 or higher in intensity, where windspeeds are in excess of 250 km/h. The Fujita Scale is used to rate tornado intensity, based on the damage to buildings and vegetation.
Of all the provinces, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan average the most tornadoes per season, around 15, followed by Quebec with less than 10. New Brunswick and the interior of British Columbia are also recognized tornado zones. All other province and territories have significantly less threat from tornadoes. The peak season in Canada is in the summer months when clashing air masses move north, as opposed to the spring season in the United States southern-central plains, although tornadoes in Canada have occurred in spring, fall and in the most rarest of cases, winter.
The reported increase in numbers of tornadoes in recent years may reflect more reporting by citizens and media involvement rather than an actual increase in tornado occurrence (although some natural increase has not been ruled out), in addition to better detection technology i.e. Doppler weather radar and satellite imagery. The upswing could also be attributed to other factors, such as improved aerial and ground damage assessment after the fact in sparsely populated areas (particularly the case in remote parts of the Canadian Prairies and Northern Ontario, for example), better trained spotter capabilities and increased use of digital recording devices by citizens. Tornadoes in Canada are enough of a threat for a public warning system to be in place, overseen by the national weather agency, Environment Canada.
For a variety of reasons, such as Canada's lower population density and generally stronger housing construction due to the colder climate, Canadian tornadoes have historically caused far fewer fatalities than tornadoes in the United States. The deadliest tornado in Canadian history, the Regina Cyclone of June 30, 1912, does not even rank in the top 25 when compared to American tornado fatalities. Urban centres are not immune from the threat of severe tornadoes. Seven medium to large size Canadian cities were hit by significant strength tornadoes (F3 or higher) during the 20th century which caused large-scale damage and fatalities: in Regina (1912), Windsor twice (1946 and 1974), Sarnia (1953), Sudbury (1970), Woodstock (1979), Barrie (1985), and in Edmonton (1987).
Before 1880
1792
- June 30, The first recorded tornado in Canadian history affected the Niagara Peninsula between Fonthill and Port Robinson, Ontario. The path cut by the twister through the forest becomes Hurricane Road, still in use today. (It is thought that a Hurricane, rather than a tornado was the cause of this path of destruction which uprooted trees and created the pathway that thus became known as "Hurricane Road" as it still is today.)
1829
- April 18, An area between Collingwood, Ontario and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario in southern Ontario was affected by tornadoes, one of which lifted a saloon up into the air.
- June 2, The early settlement of Guelph, Ontario is destroyed by a strong tornado. Re-settlement does not begin for a few years afterwards.
1860
- May 19, Homes, fences and trees were demolished by a 500 m wide tornado near Aurora, Ontario. Hailstones up to 8 cm in diameter also fell.
1870
- July 16, Montreal, Quebec. [1] Tornado lasting 5 minutes lays a path of destruction. 1 unconfirmed death.
1879
1880
- June 10, A 200 m wide tornado at Listowel, Ontario lifting a man up into the air. He grabs on to a bridge to save himself.
1884
- May 15, Elora, Ontario Tornado. A suspected F4. A tornado half a kilometre wide destroyed barns, fences and stables at Elora, Ontario, and damaged a church and cemetery in Goldstone, Ontario.
1885
1888
- June 6, Southern Quebec Tornado. A tornado affected an area between Montreal, Quebec and Cornwall, Ontario killing 3 and destroying 500 farms, barns and outbuildings.
- August 16, Between Lancaster, Ontario - Saint-Zotique, Quebec Tornado, Lancaster, Ontario - Saint-Zotique, Quebec - Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec. Extensive property damage, 9 dead, 16 injured.
1889
- June 4, Bridgetown, New Brunswick tornado. Probable "F2" Tornado Bridgetown, New Brunswick: Now Known as the City of Miramichi.
The Bridgetown Cyclone, a fierce wind and rain storm, pummels New Brunswick with pea-sized hail. Several barns demolished by tornado.
1890s
1892
- June 14, A tornado hits Sainte-Rose, Quebec Tornado. Six dead, 26 injured.
- June 29, A tornado in London, Ontario destroyed barns and orchards.
1898
1908
1909
- July 16, An F3 tornado strikes a cooner near Golden Valley, Saskatchewan
1912
1913
- March 21, The area between Windsor and Cobalt in Ontario was affected by winds gusting up to 150 km/h. 7 people were killed during the storm which also damaged buildings and uprooted trees.
1916
- June, A tornado struck approximately 7 km south of Grassy Lake, Alberta, resulting in the death of one child.
1919
- July 30, A strong F2 or F3 tornado touched down from Centreville to Florenceville, New Brunswick. 11 barns were lifted from foundations and in East Florenceville, a 100-foot (30 m) long warehouse was completely destroyed by this very strong tornado.
1920
1922
1923
- June 24, A tornado touches down near Hornby, Ontario, in present-day Halton Hills. It travels eastward almost 20 km before dissipating near Cooksville, Ontario, close to the centre of present-day Mississauga. Four dead, dozens injured. Many structures, mostly farm buildings damaged or destroyed.
1926
1927
- June 18, A tornado picked up a house in Elfros, Saskatchewan killing one person. The tornado cut an 11 km path of damage.
- July 7, A spectacular tornado struck Vulcan, Alberta. No loss of life, but significant damage in the town and surrounding area. Curling rink destroyed, along with a dairy and a granary.
1935
1938
- September, A tornado touches down near the village of Massawippi, Quebec, destroying a barn.
1939
1944
- July 1, Two tornadoes strike Lebret, Saskatchewan killing four people.
- August 9, Three tornadoes hit Kamsack, Saskatchewan including one F4, wrecking seventy-five percent of homes and one hundred businesses. It killed three people.
1946
- June 17, Windsor - Tecumseh, Ontario Tornado of 1946 (F4), Windsor, Ontario and Tecumseh, Ontario. . (See Article for in-depth information)
- June 24, Fort Frances, Ontario Tornado (F3), International Falls, Minnesota - Fort Frances, Ontario - Rainy River, Ontario.
1949
- July 19, The small village of Chénéville, Quebec was devastated by a tornado which lasted about 3 minutes.
1950
1953
1954
- January 30, A tornado touched down near White Point Beach, Nova Scotia. A great deal of hail and lightning along the coast near Liverpool, Nova Scotia. It is a very unusual, but not unheard of mid-winter tornado.
1955
1958
- April 16, A tornado at Watrous, Saskatchewan destroying a large barn and scattering pigs up to 5 km from the barn.
- April 17, A tornado tracking between Hensall and Dublin in Ontario killed one person.
- May, A tornado was spotted near Amaranth, Manitoba.
1959
- June 6, A tornado destroyed a garage in La Salle, Manitoba, yet the car inside the garage was not damaged. The tornado could be seen 15 km away in Winnipeg.
1962
1963
1966
1967
- Huron - Perth Tornado (Southern Ontario, $1 million dollars damage)
1968
1970
- August 20, A tornado touches down near Sudbury, Ontario, leaving 6 dead & 200 injured.
1972
- July 22, A tornado near Algonquin Park, Ontario left a 25 km path destroying a portage trail and wide swaths of Red Pine forest and other trees south of Lake Lavieille.
1973
- August 10, A funnel cloud was sighted on Upper Garry Lake, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut), the most northerly funnel cloud on record in Canada.
- August 27, One year after, another tornado strikes Algonquin Park near Manitou Lake flattening an 11 km long path of forest.
1974
1975
- Saint Bonaventure, Quebec Tornado, Saint Bonaventure, Quebec; 40 injured, 300 homeless, $2.5 to $3 million in damages.
- June 23, A tornado touches down west of Regina, Saskatchewan as well as unleashing torrential downpours on the city causing flooding.
1977
- July 18, A twister rated F4 in strength touched down near Rosa-St. Malo, Manitoba and caused three fatalities.[1]
1978
- Yellowknife Tornado. A tornado touches down near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories toppling a tower and destroying a transmission tower at Rae-Edzo. Rated F2 on the Fujita scale, it leveled three barns and over turned a train. Some witnesses say that they saw a huge mile wide wedge coming into town from the west. The tornado caused severe damage to weakly built houses. The tornado was the third recorded in the region since 1960.[2]
- May 28, South Eastern Manitoba - St. Pierre-Jolys - Damage to a few homes and one apartment block. Aubigny - extensive damage to the hamlet's homes and church.
- June 27, An F1 or F2 tore through the former cities of Buckingham, Quebec and Masson (now Gatineau). 35 people were injureds and 100 homes sustained significant damage. Damage amount estimated around $3 million.
1979
- August 7, August 1979 Woodstock tornado, Burgessville, Ontario - Woodstock, Ontario, Killed 3, injured 150 and 480 houses were uninhabitable. An additional F3 spawned by the same storm struck the nearby city of Stratford, Ontario just before the twin F4 tornadoes struck Woodstock.
- May 21, A tornado tore part of a roof off of a Wheat Pool elevator in Regina, Saskatchewan. It also destroyed a farmhouse and barn and sent a truck flying across the yard.
- August 8, A tornado touches down in Regina, Saskatchewan, causing damage in the northwest end of the city.
1980
1983
- Reeces Corners Tornado, Reece's Corners, Ontario (around 20 km east of Sarnia, Ontario). Millions of dollars in damages.
- June 24, A massive super-cell thunderstorm with hail, high winds, and nearly 100 mm of rain in 45 minutes caused massive flooding in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and wind damage was reported from a plow wind or a possible tornado on the north end of the city. One death was reported with this storm when an underpass became flooded and the person drowned due to the stalled vehicle this person was driving and the volume of water.
1984
1985
- May 31, The "Barrie" Tornado Outbreak of 1985 (as part of the bigger 1985 United States – Canadian tornado outbreak), F4, Barrie, Ontario. 13 confirmed tornado touchdowns in Ontario, the largest known outbreak in Canada since records have been kept. 12 killed, 8 in Barrie alone with hundreds injured; 800 homeless, more than 100 buildings were damaged at a cost of over $100 million, complete destruction of 300 houses. Four were killed by a tornado that struck or struck close to Grand Valley, Orangeville and Tottenham, that tornado had touchdown path length of over 100 km (62 mi). See article for in-depth information.
- May 31, F0 tornado strikes the Leamington, Ontario area, as part of the Barrie tornado outbreak, above.
- Mississauga Tornado, July 7. A tornado in the Meadowvale area of Mississauga, Ontario injures 10 and caused $400,000 damage.
1986
- May 6, Minor tornado touches down near Lampman, Saskatchewan.
- June 1, Three tornadoes touched down in Saskatoon. Roofs and windows in the area were damaged by high winds and hailstones.
1987
- Winnipeg, Manitoba Tornado, Winnipeg, Manitoba; a thunderstorm caused at least two tornadoes in Winnipeg; strong winds and 40 millimetres of rain in two and a half hours caused flash flooding and resulted in considerable property damage.
- July 31, Strong F4, possibly F5, along with a few other weaker tornadoes. Edmonton, Alberta and surrounding areas. 27 dead, 253 injured. See article for in-depth information. One of Canada's strongest tornadoes, and the second deadliest tornado (after the 1912 Regina Cyclone).
1988
1989
- June 19, Called the Saskatchewan Tornado Outbreak of 1989, eight tornadoes touched down over central Saskatchewan. Winds gusted up to 130 km/h and hail shredded crops at Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan.
- July 8, An F3 tornado touches down in Peebles, Saskatchewan. The general store and the skating/curling rink were blown into the bush about 3 km from where they had originally stood.
- July 27, A series of severe thunderstorms spawned a weak tornado in the west end of Edmonton, Alberta. The tornado injured two people, damaged buildings and uprooted trees and powerlines.
- August 14, Dubbed the New Brunswick Tornado Outbreak, three tornadoes touch down in New Brunswick. One of the tornadoes affects Carlisle where trees are uprooted and a barn is destroyed, but amazingly 22 out of 24 glass storm windows stored inside are left undamaged.
- November 16, An F2 tornado caused 2 million dollars in damage in the community of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec. This is the latest in the year tornado recorded in the province of Quebec. It also occurred during the same tornado outbreak as the Huntsville, Alabama Tornado.
1990
1991
- March 27, An early season tornado strikes Sarnia, Ontario causing an estimated $25 million in damage.
- August 27, The Mauricie Tornado of 1991. St. Lawrence River, Quebec; the tornado affected the village of Maskinongé; the tornado crossed the St. Lawrence River and touched down in Notre-Dame-de-Pierreville where a few summer cottages were destroyed and some minor injuries occurred; it also touched down in Saint-Wenceslas where minor damage was reported; there were no deaths, 15 people injured, only one seriously; 60% of all buildings in the village of Maskinongé, Quebec were damaged, the power lines were down and telephone service stopped; no drinking water was available; estimated $13 million in damage, leaving 100 homeless. Occurred in the Maskinongé Regional County Municipality, Quebec of the Mauricie Region.
- July 2, Prince George, British Columbia was affected by a severe thunderstorm which dumped 15.4 mm rain in 25 minutes on the Prince George Airport. In downtown hail fell, there was flooding and at Cluculz Lake, British Columbia a tornado uprooted trees.
- September 7, A massive hailstorm in Calgary, Alberta causes an estimated $400 million in damage and causes massive flooding due to hailstones clogging storm drains and the melting of the hail. It was the costliest storm in the city's history.
1992
- June 24, Tornadoes, large hail and torrential downpours affected southern Manitoba. Tennis ball sized hail fell near Morden, Manitoba and winds gusting to 154 km/h were recorded at Pilot Mound, Manitoba. There were also five confirmed tornado touchdowns and numerous funnel clouds in Manitoba that day, including some very crisp video footage of one rope tornado tearing up farmland near Portage la Prairie. The region had been affected by severe weather the day before as well.
1994
- July 9, One person was killed when an F2 tore through the town of Saint-Charles, Quebec. 3 other person were injured, about a dozen homes were damaged.
- August 4, An F3 tornado in Aylmer, Quebec across the river from Ottawa, Ontario, injures 15 people. The tornado path was 8 km long and caused major damage to a downtown residential subdivision including homes destroyed. A second tornado had previously touched down just across the Ottawa River in Carp. In Quebec, other tornadoes touched down near Laurel and Rawdon [3]
- August 27, F4 tornado hits rural farmland near Turtle Mountain, Manitoba. Devastation especially visible at Mayfair Hutterite Colony, well over $1 million in damage. There were no injuries or deaths.
1995
- June 20, Thunderstorms rumbled for 7 hours over Manitoba producing 90 km/h winds which blew trees and power lines over. The storm even produced a weak tornado.
- July 15, A large progressive derecho thunderstorm produced severe winds over an expansive area of the central Great Lakes and New England overnight also contained at least six tornadoes that hit central Ontario, most centred or to the north of the Kawartha lakes. The strongest is an F2 tornado that destroys a marina at Bridgenorth, Ontario and overturns a houseboat on Chemong Lake, trapping 20 occupants for a few hours until they are rescued, just north of Peterborough, Ontario. One person is killed in Bridgenorth.
- July 26, Fredericton, New Brunswick Tornado,. A tornado in Fredericton, New Brunswick took the roof off a government building and damaged a tennis court dome.
- August 14, A tornado touches down near Barrie, Ontario.
- August 29, Several farms were destroyed when a tornado lasting a couple of minutes affected Spring Valley, near Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan.
1996
- April 20, Southern Ontario Tornadoes of 1996, Grey, Wellington and Dufferin counties. Two F3 class tornadoes touched down in Grey County (Williamsford), Wellington County and Dufferin County. Significant property damage occurred; nine people were injured by the two tornadoes.
- May 20, A strong thunderstorm damages one of the four screens of a drive-in theatre at Thorold in the Niagara Region. Coincidentally, this drive-in was planning to show the movie Twister that evening. Eyewitnesses report seeing a small funnel cloud, but the physical evidence is inconclusive. Distorted and exaggerated media reports of this event abound; most claimed that the storm blew down the screen while Twister was being shown on it. The storm actually took place before sundown. However, a small tornado did touchdown in Stoney Creek that same evening.
- July 4, An estimated nine tornadoes touch down in the Saskatoon, Maymont and Osler areas in Saskatchewan. An F3 was measured in the Maymont area destroying power lines. Homes and property were damaged in the Osler area. Wind gusts in Saskatoon reached 120 km/h and 141 km/h damaging many trees and properties on the east end of the city.
1997
- June 24, Lantz, Nova Scotia, F0 tornado touches down in local ball field at approx. 4:45pm ADT. Golf ball sized hail and intense lightning also reported with this storm.
- July 2, Southeast Michigan Tornado Outbreak F1, F2, F3 Windsor, Ontario and surrounding areas. See article for more in-depth information.
- July 4, F2 Tornado Grand Falls, New Brunswick Area, Roof torn off building. Farmers fields ripped up. The same line of storms also dropped a F2 Tornado in Matapédia (New Brunswick/Quebec border), Quebec where a couple of barns were destroyed.
1998
- June 2 Norwich, Ontario . During a wider severe weather outbreak (Derecho thunderstorm) that struck Southern Ontario in the mid-afternoon, an F1 tornado descended near Holbrook around 3:50PM and travelled southeastward to Norwich, damaging many buildings, including a church. There were also tornado reportings in Elmvale and Dunnville, and several reports of funnel clouds, hail, and high winds.
- July 10, F2 Tornado Charleston, New Brunswick 90 m by 7 km path of damage. Total destruction of mobile home which was thrown 30 m. Minor injuries to residents in home.
- August 11, A small F1 tornado goes through part of Saint-Émile, in the suburbs of Quebec City, it overturns a shed, damages three and causes a city-wide electricity loss when a garage is slammed into an electric pole.
1999
- May 8, A tornado over Hull, Quebec caused $2M damage and tore roofs off buildings. Was caused by the same system that produced the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak between May 3 and May 8. It was also the second significant tornado in the Hull-Gatineau area in five years.
- May 18, Three tornadoes touch down close to the western limits of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
- Bois-Francs Region Tornado, July 6. A tornado left 4,000 without power and 200 in need of temporary shelter in Berthierville, Yamaska and Drummondville (all in Quebec). Some Environment Canada records show one person was killed in the event.[3]
- August 4, An F2 tornado with a twisting but narrow path causes damage in the rural north end of Burlington, Ontario, relocating a motorhome 2 kilometers from where it was parked, the tornado track was over 10 km long.
- August 18, A small tornado strikes Pugwash, Nova Scotia, causing some localized structural damage. There were no serious injuries.
2000
- July 9 A funnel cloud touched down briefly near Wetaskiwin, Alberta during severe thunderstorms in the evening hours. Funnel clouds were also reported in and around Edmonton.
- July 14 Pine Lake, Alberta Tornado F3 Pine Lake, Alberta (Near Red Deer, Alberta). 12 people killed. See Article for in-depth information.
- July 17 Guelph, Ontario Tornado. An F2 tornado struck the city of Guelph, Ontario causing around $2M damage and destroyed roofs, trees and fences. The same storm then produced a second tornado in Waterdown, Ontario.
- August 1 Egg-sized hail and a tornado struck Viking, Alberta.
- August 6 As people were gathering in Pine Lake, Alberta for a memorial service for those who died in a killer tornado just a few weeks earlier, a second, weaker tornado hit the area.
2001
- June 19, Saguenay Tornado. Alma in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean area was struck by an F2 tornado which lasted about half a minute and destroyed two houses, a barn and a garage as well as uprooting trees and damaging roofs. A second funnel cloud was observed the same region just 3 weeks later.
- July 4, Quebec and Southeastern Ontario had some severe weather. There was heavy rain, strong winds and 2 cm hail. Tornadoes touched down in Ayr, Argyle, Campbellville and Fenelon Falls (all in Ontario), the strongest of them rated an F2. At least 5 tornadoes are confirmed in southern Ontario on the 4th with other unconfirmed reports.
- July 13, A tornado is spotted near Caroline, Alberta north of Calgary.[4]
2002
2003
- June 11, Laval, Quebec was struck by an F1 tornado that damaged trees, and many warehouses in the industrial park just north of Autoroute 440. It also caused some vehicles to go off the road as it crossed west to east both lanes of Autoroute 15 during rush hour.
- July 2, A tornado touches down on an area of Narrow Hills Provincial Park northwest of Nipawin, Saskatchewan. It destroyed several residential trailers, turned over a tractor-trailer unit, and caused a number of injuries; the storm also dropped baseball-sized hail that is typical of tornado-producing thunderstorms in the Prairies.
- July 4, An F1 tornado struck St. Jacques/Moulin Morineault/St. Joseph de Madawaska/Deuxieme-Sault, New Brunswick Uprooted trees, damaged homes and businesses. Site inspected by MSC forecaster.
- July 11, A tornado touches down near Westlock county, Alberta, north of Edmonton.
- August 13, A tornado touches down on a golf course and lake resort west of Edmonton at Wabamun, Alberta causing some injuries.[5]
2004
- May 22, May 2004 Tornado Outbreak Sequence, one strong F2 struck near Mitchell, Ontario at 6pm and a F3 (last F3 in Ontario was in 1996) in nearby Gad's Hill causing extensive property and infrastructure damage.
- June 9, an F1 struck near Escott, Ontario destroying a barn and a two-car garage. One man was killed when a tree fell on the porch he was standing on.
- July 8, an F0-F1 tornado touched down in Grande Prairie, Alberta, causing damage to homes and businesses outlets and flipping over vehicles.
- July 11, A tornado briefly touched down in Andrew, Alberta, northwest of Edmonton. The tornado was a result of the same system that dumped over 100mm of rain and flooded many parts of Edmonton.
- July 31, 4 tornadoes touched down in southern Quebec, with an F1 in Châteauguay on Montreal's south shore, another F1 in Durham-Sud, an F1 in Saint-Albert, which cut a path of 6 km long, and also an F0 in Chesterville.
- August 10, two tornadoes touched down in the Ottawa region, one in Burnstown and another in Thurso. Both were rated F1's.
2005
- May 23, A tornado touches down in and around Nipawin, Saskatchewan.
- June 21, Lethbridge, Southern Alberta.Tuesday a severe thunderstorm spawned several funnel clouds and golf ball size hail from Lethbridge to Taber Alberta.
- July 2, A tornado touches down about 25 km west of Estevan, Saskatchewan.
- August 19, Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak of 2005. These associated storm caused extensive widesrpead damage in a path from Stratford, Ontario (20 km west of Kitchener), to Peterborough, Ontario, and along Georgian Bay near Collingwood. A storm cell just to the north of Fergus, Ontario spawned two F2 strength tornadoes that were particularly damaging, tearing apart trees, farms and overturning automobiles driving on a highway. The first tornado tracked through Milverton to Conestogo Lake (west of Elmira). The second moved from Salem to Lake Bellwood (north of Guelph). The same storm cell later triggered a tornado warning in Toronto and caused extensive flooding with over 140mm (7") of rain in some northern sections of the city, washing out many roads as well as damaging infrastructure such as storm sewers and electrical systems. An unusual tornado possibly touched down within the Toronto, Ontario city limits, although never officially confirmed by Environment Canada. In its wake, the storm left a trail of damage that, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, represented the highest insured loss in the province's history, exceeding $500 million. That's more than two and a half times Ontario's losses during the infamous ice storm of 1998 and the second largest loss event in Canadian history.
- November 9, in Hamilton, Ontario, a late-season tornado tears off part of the roof of a school and damages businesses and homes in the area. See Hamilton, Ontario Tornado of 2005.
2006
- July 4, Glassville, New Brunswick Tornado Of 2006. An F1 strikes Glassville, New Brunswick, 40 km (25 mi) south of Perth Andover, New Brunswick. A great deal of forest and structural damage, but no injuries or deaths.[6]
- July 17, an F1 tornado struck Newmarket, Ontario at night, packing winds of 120 to 170 kilometres an hour, cut a swath of damage 10 km long and 100 metres wide in the Woodbine Avenue/Davis Drive area around 10:15 p.m. At about the same time, an F0, with winds up to 115 km/h, was wreaking havoc in a small section of the Stonehaven subdivision, off Leslie Street south of Mulock Drive.
- July 17, An F1 (possibly a weak F2?) hit a La Baie du Diable campground in Ferme-Neuve, Quebec moving RV's and breaking trees.
- July 25, An F0 tornado destroyed a barn in Hebertville, Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec. The same storm produced hail that reached 5–6 cm (2 in) in diameter and caused 2 million Canadian dollars damage in the agricultural community.
- August 1, An F2 tornado struck the community of Lac-Drolet in the Estrie region of Quebec, destroying a house.
- August 2, a number of homes and cottages damaged or completely destroyed by a tornado in Combemere, Ontario located in the Upper Ottawa Valley. The same storm system spawned an outbreak of fourteen confirmed tornadoes [7] mostly concentrated north of Peterborough, Ontario in the Haliburton, Kawartha and Madawaska areas, which damaged cottages in the area, some severely. It was the most tornadoes confirmed in Ontario in a single 24-hour span day since 1985 and matched the annual provincial average. The strongest were two F2s, one that struck an isolated area near Bancroft, Ontario and the other that made a direct hit on the town of Combermere, Ontario.
- August 5, in Gull Lake, Manitoba an F2 tornado killed a woman at a campground north of Winnipeg.
- August 15, F1 Tornado Pokemouche/Evangeline, New Brunswick. Tornado impacted the area of Pokemouche and Evangeline. Hail, Damaging winds and intense lightning were reported in the region. A tornado swept along a corridor of 20– 50 meters wide and 3 to 5 kilometers long extending from Pokemouche through Evangeline. The tornado estimated in the lower F1 range (wind estimated around 120 km/hr) caused structural damage to a few properties and uprooted/snapped a few trees along the corridor. The sighting of the actual funnel cloud / tornado was reported by a few members of the public. Ended at 47.7 N -64.85W
- August 20, An F2 tornado hit the community of La Broquerie in southern Manitoba, destroying a house.
- August 24, Two tornadoes touch down near Unity and Yorkton, Saskatchewan
2007
- May 15, Mitchell, Ontario Tornado. An F1 tornado struck the Mitchell, Ontario area around 60 km northeast of London, Ontario, causing minor damage. It was the third significant tornado to hit the Mitchell area in a three-year span. The same storm system that caused this tornado also produced a couple other tornadoes (an F0 and an F1) in The Thumb area of Michigan, northern Indiana, and Ohio before crossing Lake Huron into Ontario.
- June 22–23, Eastern Prairie Outbreak. A rare combination of weather systems converged on a June weekend causing severe thunderstorms which spawned at least 8 tornadoes across Southeast Saskatchewan and Southern Manitoba. The most significant, and the first confirmed F5 tornado in Canada was an F5 which touched down near Elie, Manitoba destroying 4 homes, flipping one home-owner's Chrysler Fifth Avenue onto a neighbour's roof, and heavily damaging a flour mill. Because the tornado crossed directly over one of the most travelled portions of the Trans-Canada Highway, a large number of photos and videos were taken.[8] One local atmospheric science student/chaser named Justin Hobson documented the entire life cycle of the tornado. The F5 Elie tornado was described "as bad as they ever get here in Canada" by meteorologist Dave Carlsen of Environment Canada, while he told Canwest Global affiliate CKND-TV.[9] A large F3 wedge tornado also touched down near Pipestone, Manitoba and Baldur, Manitoba.[10] Surprisingly there were a minimal amount of reported injuries resulting from all of the tornadoes. There were also sightings of 3 small tornadoes becoming one. One of the tornadoes in this outbreak also traveled 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Baldur, Manitoba and was rated an F3 on the Fujita scale.[11] A total of 8 confirmed tornadoes over the 2 day span.
- June 26, F0/F1 Tornado Petitcodiac/Salisbury Area New Brunswick A powerful windstorm with an embedded tornado struck the Petitcodiac-Salisbury area of New Brunswick on June 26. Environment Canada confirmed the blast was a tornado after interviewing eyewitnesses and examining damages. The storm knocked down trees and hurled pieces of playground equipment and wheelbarrows long distances. In one incident, the twister picked up a trampoline from a front lawn and threw it 18 metres into a pasture. It also hurled two cast iron rockers (weighing more than 50 kg each) about the same distance.
- July 8, Mayerthorpe, Alberta. A tornado hit 20 km south of Mayerthorpe. There were reports of tornadoes in the area at approx. 5:15 PM (EST). Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm watches and warnings were scattered through central Alberta.
- On the same date in Southern Ontario, there were two reported tornadoes by storm chasers/reporters near the Walkerton area in Bruce County. Hail to the size of tennis balls were also reported from the same supercell that travelled from the Bruce Peninsula to the Kitchener-Waterloo area between 6 PM and 8 PM EDT. One of these tornadoes was reported near Mildmay, Ontario (in Bruce County) and confirmed as an F1. The tornado destroyed a large implementation shed. Debris reported 1.5 km away (nearly a mile), 50 kg drums moved. Another tornado is sighted in the area but unconfirmed touchdown.[12]
- July 23, Leduc County, Alberta. A tornado formed over Edmonton International Airport just before sundown amid severe thunderstorms in the Edmonton area as a result of the jet stream depositing cold air into the region's hot, 35 degree Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) weather. The tornado touched just south of the Highway 2/2A junction, scattering rock, dirt, hay and small debris on 16 km (9.9 mi) of 2A, involving the towns of Kavanagh and Millet. Despite its large appearance, no major damage or injuries were reported, although power was out for a few hours in the vicinity and lightning ignited a range fire west of the airport.
- July 29, Gander Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. An F0 tornado touched down in Wing's Point, Newfoundland and Labrador, crossed over to Main Point, and flipped a few skidoo trailers over before dissipitating. One of very few to strike Newfoundland and Labrador.
- July 31, A suspected tornado flattens fields and demolishes a farm yard near Cupar, Saskatchewan north of Regina.[13]
- August 3, A tornado touches down in the community of Black River Bridge, New Brunswick. Tree damage and large hail reported.
- August 3, A F2 tornado touches down in the White Rapids area of New Brunswick. The destruction of several farm buildings coupled with the cyclone signature that was recognized on the Doppler radar led officials to confirm a tornado. Besides the wind, rain and lightning, hailstones the size of ice-cubes pelted areas in the Miramichi.
2008
- May 25, At least two tornadoes touch down in Manitoba. One was reported near Altona. No damage was reported.[14]
- May 31, A tornado touches down in Niverville, Manitoba. No deaths,injuries or damage.[15][16]
- June 6, An F1 tornado was detected in Echo Bay in Algoma District at roughly 10:00 PM local time. A roof was torn off a warehouse and damage to a tractor dealership was caused.
- June 6, A weak tornado touches down near Heisler, Alberta southeast of Edmonton. Minor property damage was reported.[17][18]
- June 8, A possible tornado was detected by doppler radar near Highway 402 in the Strathroy area in the late afternoon as strong storms moved through Southeastern Michigan and into Southwestern Ontario. Three tornadoes in Ontario. F1 tornado was detected in Ruthven, near Kingsville and Leamington. Other tornadoes touched down near Lucan, Ontario and Brantford.
- June 9, A weak tornado touches down near Morris, Manitoba. No injuries or deaths were reported.[19]
- June 10, A tornado touches down west of Edmonton near Wabamun.
- June 22, A small rope-type tornado touches down in Bryanston, Ontario near St. Marys, Ontario. Close up video of the tornado, taken less than a mile away, was captured just east of Bryanston, Ontario. Another video captured the tornado as seen from a London apartment, looking north. The twister damaged a large pig barn, and uprooted several trees. Video of the path can be seen here.
- June 22, A weak tornado touches down near Viking, Alberta. It damaged some properties including uprooted trees, a damaged fence and tore apart a shed.[20]
- June 27, Five tornadoes touch down in Manitoba. They were reported near Gladstone, Neepawa, Arden, Westbourne and MacGregor areas.[21]
- July 1, A massive super-cell thunderstorm dumps an estimated 50mm of rain in an hour in Lethbridge, AB causing massive flooding over the entire city and hundreds of homes suffer basement flooding caused by massive sewer backups.
- July 6, A weak tornado touches down north of Airdrie, Alberta. There was no report of damage or injuries.[22]
- July 7, A tornado touches down just west of Turtle Mountain Provincial Park in Manitoba, damaging docks and sinking boats. No injuries or fatalities.[23][24]
- July 10, A F1 tornado briefly touches down in the Shipshaw area of Saguenay.[25]
- July 10, At least three tornadoes touch down in southeastern Saskatchewan during severe storms. They were reported near Dafoe, Kandahar, Saskatchewan, Dollard, Saskatchewan and Stoughton Damage was also reported in Carlyle where high winds triggered a gas leak at a greenhouse forcing evacuations and a Home Hardware stores roof was ripped off in a storm in Yorkton.[26][27][28][29]
- July 14, A possible tornado touches down west of Battleford, Saskatchewan.
- July 15, A tornado touches down east of the small town of Vulcan, Alberta ripping two graineries of their concrete base on a farm.[30]
- July 19, A waterspout touches down on Turtle Lake in Saskatchewan north of the Battlefords Another tornado was reported near Dundurn, Saskatchewan south of Saskatoon[31]
- July 23, Two waterspouts form over the St-Lawrence River in the Montreal, Quebec area, one in the Port of Montreal area, visible from a large area of the island.[32]
- July 26, A F1 (possibly an F2) tornado touched down near the town of Coboconk, Ontario at around 2:45pm. Severe weather warnings were in effect at the time of the tornado.
- July 27, At least four tornadoes touch down in Saskatchewan near Chamberlin and Girvin, north of Regina, and Radisson and Langham, north of Saskatoon, on a night where tornado warnings and watches kept popping up.[33]
- August 26, A tornado touches down at a golf course north of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan injuring six.[34]
- September 1, Reports of a twister touching down near La Broquerie, Manitoba prompted several tornado warnings from Environment Canada Monday afternoon and on the ground for about three minutes.
2009
- April 25, At a surprisingly early date in the spring, an F0 tornado touched down in the west end of urbanized Ottawa, Ontario, at around 7:00 PM, after very early season heat 30C. Despite the weakness of the tornado, some roofs detached from houses, and trees and electricity poles broke, causing electrical shortages in an areas stretching from Britianna Bay in the west to Carlington Heights to the east. The damage path was up to 150m wide before lifting. In Gatineau, Quebec, severe damage was reported, including detached roofs from a school in Gatineau sector and a commercial building in Hull sector, as well as many trees and electricity poles falling down, which were more likely the results of a microburst or strong winds alone, as no tornado has been reported by witnesses.[35] The same storm system also caused a minor F0 tornado in Windsor,[36] ripping part of the roof off of the local CUPE union hall, damaging some windows on neighbouring homes, and blowing out the windows on an automobile in the union hall's parking lot. The funnel cloud was first spotted over the western part of Windsor, near the University of Windsor, drifting southeast. Damage is reported to be low, with no injuries or deaths.
- May 22, Near Warren, Maintoba north of Winnipeg two tornado sightings were spotted around 1:00pm local time. One of the two has been said to have touched down. Little damage to none has been reported.[37]
- June 1, Brought Southern Manitoba's first major storm in spring. Unconfirmed tornado reported in Winnipeg near the McPhillips Athletic. Many trees toppled on houses and a semi flipped over on the Portage Ave and Perimeter Highway. By Dauphin there were reports of a large funnel cloud but Environment Canada said the funnel cloud did not touch down or cause any damage.[38]
- June 25, A tornado touches down near Provost, Alberta causing a crash between two semi trucks.[39][40][41]
- June 25, Malahide Township, Ontario near London, Ontario a F2 tornado rips apart a house while a woman was blow-drying her hair. She escaped unharmed however. A second tornado strikes near Avon, Ontario 15 km west of Tillsonburg, Ontario destroying a house and many barns.[42]
- June 30, A tornado touches down and destroys several farm buildings southeast of North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Another tornado was reported near Hafford, Saskatchewan.[43]
- July 4, A brief funnel cloud was spotted by many residences in the Swan River, Manitoba area and touch down causing a dust devil. Many residences also say it touch down in pure day light and non-treating weather.
- July 4, A tornado touches down near Red Deer, Alberta causing minimal damage and no injuries.[44]
- July 9, A F2 tornado touches down in a resort on the shores of Lac Seul near Ear Falls in northwestern Ontario. It damages trees and a few structures, including a cabin, which was lifted into Lac Seul. Three men are killed. All three were visitors from Oklahoma on a fishing retreat. At least 5 others from Wisoncsin in adjacents camps were injured.[45]
- July 11, A F1 tornado touched down in Boisbriand, Quebec, just west of Montreal, causing damage to houses, about 40 mature trees and a municipal nature interpretation centre, which was damaged by trees. Another tornado touched down in Mirabel that day, causing no damage and was rated F0.[46]
- July 15, An F4 (mesured as EF4 in M-IS) touched down in Jockliffe, M-IS around 7:00PM. The single tornado killed 26 people, making it one of the biggest killer single tornadoes in Canada. It was part of a larger tornado outbreak, which killed 38 people in total in 3 M-IS counties. Major devastation was found in several places, as many houses, buildings and other utility were destroyed.
- August 4, An F2 tornado, the most intense Quebec tornado since the August 4 Aylmer tornado of 1994, touches down in Mont-Laurier and Aumond in western Quebec, just east of Ottawa. As well as many uprooted trees, more than 40 homes were severely damaged in Mont-Laurier, and a home in Aumond was torn off its foundation. A cameraman for CFCF-TV and a helicopter pilot were killed a day later while gathering aerial footage of the damage.[47][48]
- August 20, Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak of 2009 Eighteen confirmed tornadoes touched down in Ontario, the largest tornado outbreak in Canadian history.
- Durham to Markdale, F2, 36 km path, one death and many serious injuries when conservation area gate house was picked up and thrown on a tent filled with people, major structural damage to buildings
- Clarksburg, F2, clear video shows this tornado coming down from the Blue Mountains through a golf resort and then moving toward the open waters of Georgian Bay.
- Vaughan F2, 3.5 kilometer path through the Woodbridge neighborhood
- Vaughan F2, 2.7 kilometer path through the Maple neighborhood. This and the Woodbridge neighborhood tornado prompted a State of Emergency in Vaughan, with hundreds of homes damaged, several requiring demolition
- Newmarket, F1
- Milton, F1
- Moonstone, F0
- Ril Lake, F1
- Dollars Lake, F0
- Gravenhurst, F1, 10 km path
- New Lowel to Edenvale, F1, 12.6 kilometer path
- Haliburton, F1
- Haliburton Forest, F1
- Redstone Lake, F0
- Arnstein probable "'F1"' tornado, which began as a waterspout in Lake Nipissing before becoming a tornado on land.
- Carlow/Mayo, "'F1"' tornado
- Rice Lake, F1
- Orono, F0
2010
- June 6, At 2:37–4:30 am an F2 tornado went from Harrow, through Kingsville and Leamington, Ontario, before dissipating near Point Pelee National Park. It uprooted trees and downed power poles. Areas along the coast of Lake Erie were damaged. Ten houses and one mobile home were completely destroyed, numerous cars were crushed and destroyed by falling trees, and a large moving van was flipped onto its side by the tornado and downburst-caused straight-line winds, but, there were 0 deaths and 1 indirect injury. Canadian stations (such as CBET and CHWI-TV) provided no warning, and the only notices that residents received of any serious weather were from Detroit stations WXYZ-TV, WJBK-TV, and WDIV-TV.[49]
- June 6, An F1 touched down in eastern Ontario, near the villages of Dalkeith and Ste-Anne-de-Prescott close to the Quebec border.
- June 21, Two weak tornadoes touch down near Limerick and Avonlea in Saskatchen.
- June 22, A possible tornado destroyed a garage and ripped a roof off a house in Woodlands about 60 km north of Winnipeg.
- June 23, Two confirmed tornadoes touched down near the town of Midland, Ontario. The first tornado was rated an F2 and it touched down at approx. 6:30 pm near the Rowntree Beach area and ended near Waubaushene, a length of 25 kilometers. A second tornado rated an F1 spawned from the same thunderstorm, touched down around 7 pm just west of Washago. Its path lasted 12 kilometers. Tornado Warnings did go off 12 minutes before the first tornado struck, leaving some residents unprepared. In addition a Red Alert was even issued by the Emergency Management of Ontario in a huge swath of Central Ontario. Both twisters left 15 people injured, 8 seriously. There were no fatalities. That same evening after 9 pm, storms tracked through the Windsor-Essex County area, where a microburst caused damage near Colchester, Ontario destroying a party tent and part of a garage, with funnel clouds and a possible tornado reported in the rural areas of the Town of Essex, these tornadoes came on the same day just hours after Central Canada was rocked by an earthquake.
- June 23, A confirmed tornado touched down near Rosser, MB but with little damage. Funnel clouds were also spotted near Marquette and Elie coming a day before the third anniversary of the F5 Elie tornado.
- June 24, A possible tornado touched down near Wilkie, Saskatchewan
- June 25, A unconfirmed tornado touched down near Oxbow, Saskatchewan, damaging a farm.[50]
- June 27, An early-afternoon repeat of June 23, severe thunderstorms form in Southeast Michigan and track towards Windsor, spawning a minor tornado from Essex to roughly Staples, with a second forming near Cottam, in Central Essex County.
- June 28, Two F0 tornadoes touched down in the Montreal region, one in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, on Montreal's West Island, and one in Mascouche, east of the city. Many funnel clouds were also spotted in the area(s).
- June 29, A confirmed tornado touched down near Whitecourt, Alberta, northwest of Edmonton. No damage was reported.
- July 2, An F3 tornado tore through the Kawacatoose Reserve near Raymore, Saskatchewan. Some homes on the reserve were demolished, with several others sustaining damage. It also leveled farmhouses and farms west of the town. It left a half-kilometre-wide path that was 45 kilometers long. No lives were lost, but some people received broken bones, cuts and bruises. It was stated that the tornado could have possibly been on the ground for an hour.[51]
- July 13, A confirmed tornado touched down 20 kilometers east of Carman, Manitoba. No rating was given for the twister, as no damage was reported.[52]
- July 17, An F0 tornado hit the community of Saint-Lazare, Quebec, near Montreal. The tornado damaged some homes, and toppled trees. Two people were also struck by lightning associated with the storm.[53]
- July 22, An unconfirmed tornado touched down just north of Regina, Saskatchewan. No damage was reported.
- July 23, An F0 tornado touched down in Amherstburg, Ontario around 7 pm. The path was around a kilometer long and 100 meters wide. Damage included multiple trees down, shingles ripped from roofs and some small buildings damaged, including one where the roof was torn off and blown a few yards away. There were no injuries reported. The same system also caused a downburst in Kingsville, Ontario. Another tornado may have touched down near Ruthven, Ontario, although nothing has been confirmed.[54]
- July 25, Two confirmed tornadoes were spotted near the town of Lanigan, Saskatchewan, southeast of Saskatoon. Two more tornadoes touched down near the town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan. Most damage came from the golf-ball-sized hail associated with the storms, which destroyed several crops in the area.
- July 26, A confirmed tornado touched down near Oakbank, Manitoba, 20 kilometers east of Winnipeg.
- July 30, Around 3:20 pm, a confirmed tornado touched down northwest of Sundre, Alberta, 120 kilometers northwest of Calgary. There were reports of heavy rain and large hail, but no damage. Another possible tornado touched down 50 kilometers southwest of Water Valley, Alberta, but was not confirmed.
- August 22, A tornado was reported southwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta.
2011
- April 27, Environment Canada confirmed that an F0 tornado touched down near the town of Fergus, Ontario. Multiple trees were blown over, siding was torn from buildings and possibly a large air conditioning unit was thrown from the roof of a retail store. The tornado spawned from a series of severe thunderstorms that swept across Southern Ontario. The towns of Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario also reported some wind damage, but no tornado was confirmed for those areas.[55]
- May 28, A tornado touched down briefly about 10 kilometers south of Winnipeg at about 5:30 p.m in St. Adolphe, Manitoba. The twister was likely an F0, but was not confirmed. It touched down in a field, lifted some debris and then dissipated.[56]
- June 2, A weak F0 tornado was spotted northwest of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan as severe thunderstorms hit the area. Saskatchewan RCMP reported damage to graineries in the area, and several power lines were toppled. Quarter-sized hail was also spotted with the weather system.[57]
- June 23, An F0 tornado briefly touched down near the Ottawa River and moved towards Aylmer, Quebec. No damage was reported.[58]
- June 23, A possible tornado was sighted near Fox Valley, Saskatchewan, about 325 km southwest of Saskatoon. Damage was reported to a hardware store and some city roads. Power lines were also knocked down. Hail from nickel size to golf ball size were reported around the area.[59]
- July 7, Multiple tornadoes touched down in central Alberta Thursday evening from very strong thunderstorms that swept across the province. One touched down near the town of Bergen, and the others near the towns of Olds and Bowden. One of the hardest hit areas was near Innisfail, where three farms were damaged. A 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m2) riding area was also destroyed. There were also reports of hail the size of softballs causing damage to cars and houses.[60] There are multiple videos from these storms on YouTube and one can be seen here.
- July 13, A weak F0 tornado touched down in southwestern Calgary. It was originally classified a funnel cloud by Environment Canada, but amateur video of the event showed it was a tornado.[61]
- July 18, Around 6pm, a tornado was reported about 15 km north of Big River, Saskatchewan. Multiple funnel clouds were also reported around the same time.[62]
- July 20, An F1 tornado touched down between Saguenay and Quebec City. Winds were strong enough to pick up a moving car off the highway. [63]
- July 23, An F2 tornado touched down southeast of Wyoming, Ontario, and carved a path a half kilometer wide and 11 km long. It dissipated just south of Watford, after blowing over eight steel transmission towers and also knocking down several hydro poles. Other damage reports included several trees snapped off and buildings moved from their foundations. One barn was completely destroyed.[64]
- August 6, An F1 tornado touched down in the village of Sainte-Elisabeth-de-Proulx, Quebec, roughly 300 km northeast of Quebec City. Multiple cottages were damaged, and trees uprooted. Environment Canada is also looking into another possible tornado in the Saint-Ludge-de-Milot area. [65]
- August 8, A weak F0 tornado occurred in the town of Plattsville, Ontario, about 18 km southwest of Kitchener. There was no damage reported.
- August 16, Four F1 tornadoes touched down in the heavily wooded areas of Northwestern Ontario. The first occurred near Dryden, Ontario, leaving a 24 km trail. The second touched down about 30 km northwest of Sioux Lookout, leaving a 12 km path. The third was confirmed in the Ear Falls-Wenesaga Lake area, about 100 km north of Dryden. It left a very small path of 1 km. The fourth F1 also touched down in Ear Falls, near Gerry Lake, leaving a 2 km path. All 4 tornadoes were given the F1 rating because of the amount of tree damage, and lack of structural damage.
- August 21, An F3 tornado hit Goderich, Ontario. In the late afternoon, a supercell storm formed and intensified over Lake Huron, spawning a waterspout which came ashore and passed directly through the heart Goderich. At its widest over downtown, the tornado was estimated to be 1.5 km across, and its path was an estimated 20 km long. It caused devastating damage to the town's port and historic downtown center, as well as to several blocks of residential homes. Approximately forty people were injured and one person was killed by the tornado, Ontario's strongest since 1996.
- August 21, A very weak F1 tornado also occurred in the west end of Gananoque, Ontario, twisting trees and demolishing a shed. The track was close to 1.5 km before it dissipated.
- August 24, Two confirmed F1 tornadoes hit southwestern Ontario, after a line of severe storms swept through the province. The first touched down in the town of Little Corners, near Cambridge and left a 15 km path to Burlington, Ontario. The second touched down 6 km west of Nairn, Ontario and left a 10 km trail before it dissipated. A third F0 tornado also touched down in the southwestern part of Grey County, near Neustadt, Ontario. The track was around 3 km long and left damage mostly to trees. [66]
- September 3, Environment Canada confirmed that an F0 tornado occurred just west of the town of Grimsby, Ontario. A large gazebo was destroyed and a number of large branches were knocked from trees. The path of damage was close to 2 km long, and the maximum witdh was around 300 metres. No injuries were reported.
- September 4, An F0 tornado hit the western part of Trois-Rivières, Quebec in the early evening hours. Damage reports indicated that trees were uprooted, roofs torn off and power was knocked out. The tornado did not last long and there were not injuries reported.[67]
- September 18, An unconfirmed tornado was spotted east of Winnipeg, Manitoba. No damage was reported, and the twister did not last very long.
See also
References
External links