The windstorm that hit BC’s South Coast on Monday was so severe that conditions generated a weak tornado near Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast.
Ken Dosanjh, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, told Daily Hive the twister happened mid-morning when the wind direction shifted. The low-pressure system that hit BC initially brought south-southeast winds, but they changed to north-northwest mid-morning.
That happened at the same time a line of storms moved through the region, including one that was over the Sunshine Coast.
“Now this one packed quite a punch. We saw witnesses capture videos of a possible tornado west of Sechelt that ended up causing some tree damage in the area. Thankfully no injuries were reported,” Dosanjh said. “Along that line of storms, we did notice that radar picked up on wind speeds of 115 kilometres per hour.”
The radar wind speeds along with the witness reports prompted ECCC to confirm a preliminary tornado occurred on the Sunshine Coast. Dosanjh explained the tornado fell in class zero on a five-point scale that ranks severity of tornados. Class zero encompasses twisters with wind speeds of 90 to 130 kilometres per hour.
Monday’s weather on the Sunshine Coast caught the attention of a Canadian university’s weather-watch project. The Northern Tornadoes Project out of the University of Western Ontario said it detected a weak and late-season tornado near Sechelt on November 4.
“The tornado felled trees along a short path, falling on power lines and briefly blocking roads including the Sunshine Coast Highway,” the project said in a statement.
Sunshine Coast residents shared videos on social media of the frightening winds that knocked down trees.
Dashcam vid of the confirmed EF-0 #tornado on #BC’s #SunshineCoast nr #Sechelt, NW of Vancouver🌪️
It occ’d on Mon 4 Nov at ~10:50a as a convective line pushed SE
Last tornado on the #BCcoast occurring at UBC, Nov 2021
H/T 📸: Lynn Smith#BCwx #BCStorm #BCStormWatch #BCTornado pic.twitter.com/rtXwVXQzA4
— Ryan Voutilainen 🇨🇦🇫🇮 (@RyanVoutilainen) November 6, 2024
@hackjobhemstreetbuilds When you get hit with a massive windstorm! #carnage #windstorm #sunshinecoast #BC #trees ♬ original sound – HackjobHemstreetBuilds
The NTP has confirmed a weak late-season tornado near Sechelt, BC, NW of Vancouver, with a line of storms on Nov 4. The tornado felled trees along a short path, falling on power lines and briefly blocking roads.
Details: https://t.co/CIYLPBRgH3#BCstorm pic.twitter.com/SBDCGzblTR
— Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 (@westernuNTP) November 6, 2024
Why was no tornado warning issued?
Environment and Climate Change Canada had wind warnings and special weather statements up across the South Coast Monday for the “vigorous” storm that brought rain and high winds. The storm cut power to tens of thousands of customers.
But Dosanjh said the conditions Monday weren’t typically those that favour tornados. Tornados are more common in the Canadian prairies and in Ontario, where hot and humid summer air contributes to supercell formation.
“It wasn’t really attributed to lots of lightning activity or convective nature that one would typically expect,” Dosanjh said. “Nevertheless, it was a system just moving so quickly. Even after the tornado went through there were still such strong winds.”
Dosanjh recommended BC residents keep an eye out for debris that could fly in strong winds when wind warnings are in place. Dehydrated trees can be dangerous, as can loose chopped wood.
Tornados typically aren’t common along the BC Coast, but they aren’t unheard of either. A tornado ripped through the UBC golf course on November 6, 2021 — just two days after the tornado in Sechelt on November 4.