Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 2d

Thanks Ryan!

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 2d

Here's the radar at right about the time of the the EF5 damage near Enderlin, ND, from KMVX (Fargo). Intense azimuthal shear.

Given there was a massive, high-intensity QLCS bearing down on the area, I have to wonder if the QLCS had an influence on the supercell/tornado intensity at Enderlin. #NDwx

1 2 14

Reposted by Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓

Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 @westernuntp.bsky.social · 2d

The CSSL/NTP assisted the US National Weather Service (NWS) with their upgrading of the official rating of the June 2025 Enderlin, ND tornado from EF3 to EF5.

Announced by the NWS today, it’s the first EF5-rated tornado in the US since 2013.

Details here: uwo.ca/ntp/blog/202...

Image B. Emfinger

Drone photo courtesy Brian Emfinger and used with permission.

3 23 50

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 4d

I've created a Bluesky Starter Pack called 'Canadian Severe Storms Community'. Makes it easy to find and follow severe storm forecasters, researchers, chasers and enthusiasts in Canada!

go.bsky.app/9eQf9Zd

Please let me know if you'd like to be added or if you think someone else needs to be added.

7 29

Reposted by Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓

Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 @westernuntp.bsky.social · 5d

The first forested area to be searched with NTP's new AI tool - Northern Ontario east of Lake Superior - turned up five tornadoes, including one rated EF2. These were all manually verified and documented.

Details here:

uwo.ca/ntp/blog/202...

#ONstorm

Lots more to come...

4 15

Reposted by Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓

Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 @westernuntp.bsky.social · 6d

Following a thorough satellite review for storm tracks of interest, the NTP has confirmed three new EF1 tornadoes from earlier in the season in Quebec.

The first two occurred on April 29 and the third on June 23.

Details at:

uwo.ca/ntp/blog/202...

#meteoQC

3 6

Reposted by Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓

Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 @westernuntp.bsky.social · 6d

The NTP has confirmed three new tornadoes and upgraded a downburst damage rating in Northern Ontario.

Details here:

uwo.ca/ntp/blog/202...

#ONstorm

3 6

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 8d

Love this - from today’s Globe and Mail.

7

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 8d

It's been fairly quiet tornado-wise in southern Ontario and southern Quebec with only 10 weak (EF0-EF1) tornadoes so far. But there have been numerous severe storms in the more northern parts of these provinces. There are likely to be more tornadoes confirmed there in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

1 4

Reposted by Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓

Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 @westernuntp.bsky.social · 8d

The NTP has confirmed four EF2 tornadoes in western Quebec during the late afternoon and evening hours of September 5. In each case there was considerable tree damage.

Full details can be found here:

uwo.ca/ntp/blog/202...

#meteoQC

1 6 12

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 9d

Congrats on the new gig, Jaela!

1 1

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 11d

The Canadian Women's Rugby team are on an unprecedented run, and could take the world championship today in a game against England. Watch on 11 am EDT! Go #TeamCanada!!!

Shan Kumar 🍁🇨🇦🇱🇰 @sraj81.ca · 12d

Canada Women's Rugby team is on the world stage this weekend as they take on England for their first world championship title by beating defending champs New Zealand.

rugby.ca/en/news/2025...

#Canada #TeamCanada #Rugby #WomensRugby #Rugby #WorldChampionship #CanadaSky #Sports

Canada Earns Landmark Victory Over Defending Champions New Zealand, Advances to World Cup Final

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team delivered a performance for the ages, defeating defending champions New Zealand 34–19 in the Rugby World Cup semi-final at Ashton Gate.

rugby.ca

1 8

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 14d

I parked on the @westernu.ca campus and was walking toward my building when I heard a bird that stopped me in my tracks. There were two bald eagles in a dead tree at the edge of the Thames River not 50 m away. One flew away but I got a quick pic of the other one. Amazing nature in the city! #LdnOnt

9

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 14d

New (conference) paper alert!

'Missed' EF2 tornadoes in Canada and the role of radar from the 41st AMS International Conference on Radar Meteorology in Toronto.

Thanks to co-authors @lesleyelliott.bsky.social, @shobenase.bsky.social and Norman Donaldson.

www.researchgate.net/publication/...

3 9

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 21d

Just watched the great new doc on Sarah McLachlan’s #LilithFair. I regret not going - I loved all the artists that played. I think I just misunderstood it at the time.

But overall, given the cultural moment we are in now, it really just seems like it happened on another planet. How sad is that?

2 12

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 22d

New paper alert!

"Multi-Level In-Situ Measurements During a Direct Hit by a Significant Tornado" in A-O.

Observations from a 2010 F2 tornado at a Harrow, ON-area wind farm show that peak winds do increase closer to the ground, supporting DOW radar measurements/analysis.

doi.org/10.1080/0705...

Multi-Level In-Situ Measurements During a Direct Hit by a Significant Tornado

A rare direct hit by a significant tornado on a weather station is documented, with a peak 1-s wind gust of 53.1 m/s (191.2 km/h) and a surface pressure deficit of 16.0 hPa recorded. Even more unco...

doi.org

4 7

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 24d

Tornado warning up for southwestern Manitoba with supercell / storm rotation moving NNW near Medora. Take shelter if in the area. #MBstorm

4

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 28d

Good article: to find "a way to skate to where the puck is inevitably going", "a federal climate competitiveness strategy is more important than it might sound."

Mark Carney's climate hinge point is at hand www.nationalobserver.com/2025/09/10/o...

Mark Carney's climate hinge point is at hand

Why the prime minister's promise of a "carbon competitiveness strategy" is about more than just reducing emissions — and why it might set Canada up for success

www.nationalobserver.com

5

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 29d

BTW, the work of finding unreported 2025 tornadoes isn't over. The NTP is using a new experimental AI tool to automatically search satellite images for tornado scars in Canadian forests - tedious work that usually takes staff weeks to do manually. It's already found quite a few. More on this soon!

4

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · Sep 8

With the 10 tornadoes added today from past months, the 2025 national tornado count goes to 66. Which is tied for 2017 at this point in the season for the *least* number of tornadoes since NTP began in 2017. And is almost half of what Canada experienced last year.

Will be looking into the why...

1 6 15

Reposted by Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓

Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 @westernuntp.bsky.social · Sep 8

The NTP has confirmed an additional 6 tornadoes for the Prairie provinces based on witness reports - 2 in AB, 3 in SK and 1 in MB. An EF0-Default rating is assigned for each since no damage was reported or detected.

See the NTP blog for details: uwo.ca/ntp/blog/202...

#ABstorm #SKstorm #MBstorm

1 9

Reposted by Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓

Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 @westernuntp.bsky.social · Sep 8

An additional 4 tornadoes have been confirmed by NTP for Quebec from June based on satellite imagery review. There was 1 EF2 tornado and 3 EF1 tornadoes.

Details at the NTP blog here: uwo.ca/ntp/blog/202.... Tornadoes are plotted on a regional map below.

#meteoQC #QCstorm

4 12

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · Sep 5

I'll be surprised if these two supercells southeast of Val D'Or, QC are not producing tornadoes. Moving northeast, about to cross Hwy 117. These are severe warned but not tornado warned, so you won't see an alert on your cell phone. But probably a good idea to take shelter if in the area. #meteoQC

2

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · Sep 5

TORNADO WARNING issued for area from Britt to North Bay, with high shear / low CAPE supercells possibly producing tornadoes as well as severe hail and downburst winds. Take shelter if in this area! #ONstorm

1 4

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · Sep 5

Nice! FYI, the Contiguous U.S. does not include southern Canada or northern Mexico. But thanks for including them.

3