'Ultra-rare' November tornado hits Vancouver, B.C., damage reported

Nathan Howes
·8 min read
'Ultra-rare' November tornado hits Vancouver, B.C., damage reported

B.C. is not a hot spot for tornadoes at any time of the year, so for one to occur there in the heart of fall is certainly a rare occurrence.

Witnesses in Vancouver, B.C., captured video and photos of a tornado over the Strait of Georgia Saturday that reportedly came ashore and caused minor tree damage at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and immediate vicinity. No injuries have been reported.

SEE ALSO: Nearly 600 lives claimed by B.C.'s historic, record-breaking heat wave

At the time on Saturday evening, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) stated a waterspout was spotted west of Vancouver International Airport, and was moving north toward western Vancouver and the mouth of Howe Sound including Bowen Island, prompting tornado watches for Howe Sound and the North Shore.

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The watches were soon dropped, and power outages and damage were reported at and surrounding the UBC campus, though it's not clear if the electricity cuts were related. The tornado is under investigation.

The Western University-based Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) sent out a tweet early Sunday morning calling it a "ultra-rare" November supercell tornado.

It didn't take long for the visuals to make it onto social media, and below is a selection of what has been circulating.

Thumbnail courtesy of Shane Sidsworth/Submitted.

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