A tornado that tore a path through Ayr last month has been upgraded from an EF1 to a an EF2 rating by the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University.
In a post on its website, the NTP says additional drone imagery has resulted in several changes to the assessment of the Aug. 17 tornado that caused widespread destruction to properties and businesses in Ayr.
This includes the rating, the length and the maximum width of the path of destruction.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale, is used to assign a tornado a rating based on estimated wind speeds and related damage.
The NTP says tree damage caused by the tornado before it reached the houses and businesses at Greenfield Road and Northumberland Street earned an EF2 rating while damage that occurred near that intersection continues to be rated EF1.
An NTP investigation, including an NTP ground / drone survey, determined that a tornado hit the Ayr area of southwestern Ontario during the late morning of August 17.
The tornado caused EF1 structural damage and EF2 tree damage along a narrow path over 7 km in length and nearly 400 m at its widest.
Empty rail cars and a tractor-trailer were overturned, and two trailers were tossed. No injuries were reported.
More details are available here.
