Grand Lake (NB) Area Tornado of July 20th 2013, an EF-1

AWCN14 CWHX 241625
SPECIAL WEATHER SUMMARY MESSAGE FOR NEW BRUNSWICK ISSUED BY 
ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 1:25 PM ADT WEDNESDAY 24 JULY 2013.

...GRAND LAKE AREA TORNADO CLASSIFIED AS AN EF-1...

ON SATURDAY JULY 20, 2013 A HOT, HUMID AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS COMBINED 
WITH A COLD FRONT SWEEPING ACROSS NEW BRUNSWICK PRODUCED SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE PROVINCE. SCATTERED 
THUNDERSTORMS BEGAN TO DEVELOP NEAR MIDDAY ON SATURDAY WITH A FEW OF 
THOSE CELLS REACHING SEVERE THRESHOLDS BY EARLY EVENING. BRIEF HEAVY 
DOWNPOURS ALONG WITH GUSTY SURFACE WINDS WERE REPORTED BY CANWARN 
SEVERE WEATHER SPOTTERS IN A FEW LOCATIONS.

HOWEVER BY FAR THE MOST INTENSE EVENT ON THIS DAY OCCURRED IN THE 
GRAND LAKE AREA WHERE A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR JEMSEG AND TRACKED 
IN A GENERAL EASTERLY DIRECTION. THE TORNADO PRODUCED AREAS OF 
SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE FROM THE POINT OF TOUCHDOWN TO A DISTANCE OF 
NEAR 15 KM AWAY.

IN ADDITION TO THE TREE DAMAGE, AT LEAST 3 BARNS WERE DESTROYED IN 
THE WHITES COVE AREA WITH DEBRIS FROM THESE STRUCTURES FOUND AS FAR 
AS 350 M AWAY. DAMAGE WAS ALSO DOCUMENTED IN THE CAMBRIDGE NARROWS 
AREA WITH AT LEAST 3 MORE STRUCTURES DAMAGED OR DESTROYED INCLUDING 
ANOTHER LARGE BARN.  DEBRIS FROM THAT BARN WAS PICKED UP AND CARRIED 
OVER 300 M. POWER AND COMMUNICATIONS OUTAGES WERE ALSO REPORTED AS A 
RESULT OF THE TORNADO. REMARKABLY NO MAJOR INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

SEVERAL VIDEOS OF THE EVENT SHOW A WELL DEVELOPED TORNADO IN THE AREA 
AND AN ENVIRONMENT CANADA STORM SURVEY TEAM WAS ONSITE TO DOCUMENT 
THE DAMAGE. BASED ON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DAMAGE OBSERVED BY THE 
STORM SURVEY TEAM, THIS TORNADO HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS AN EF-1 ON THE 
ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE.  EF-1 TORNADOES ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT 25 PERCENT 
OF ALL TORNADOES AND PRODUCE WINDS BETWEEN 135 KM/H AND 175 KM/H.

END/ASPC