Barrie Tornado Path A devastating tornado struck the Painswick and Allandale areas of Barrie on 31 May, 1985 resulting in 8 deaths, 155 injuries, and 300 destroyed homes and businesses. These tornadoes formed around the Highway 7 corridor between Lindsay to Madoc (Joe and Leduc, 1993) near the towns of Wagner Lake (F1 at 5:40pm), Reaboro (F1 at 6:05pm), Ida (F2 at 6:20pm), Rice Lake (F3 at 6:25pm), and Minto(F1 at 6:35pm). With torn houses all around them, neighbours, volunteers and friends take time out for lunch on June 2, 1985. Remembering the deadly Barrie tornado 30 years later. A journalist with Barrie's CKVR television station gave a brief sketch of just how quickly the tornado tore apart the obstacles below it. Long-time Barrie resident, Lori Anderson, says she, too, will never forget that day. Here's how it was found. “We were driving down Fairview Road, just by the raceway. Surface map on the morning of May 31, 1985. Tornado Outbreak of May 31, 1985 (The Weather Network, 2019) According to Etkin (2002), an F4 tornado touched down near the town of Hopeville. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. On May 31, 1985, the unthinkable happened. Submitted by Stu Beitler ... said 154 people were treated there for injuries suffered during the tornado's three-minute onslaught. Two people in Grand Valley were killed — one a local resident and another a visitor from Scotland, according to a next-day newspaper report in the Toronto Star. JONATHON POECHMAN, age 9. It was part of the bigger 1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreak. It’s been over 30 years since a powerful tornado ripped through the Barrie area, leaving a wide path of destruction, but the memories of the natural disaster are still fresh in the minds of many residents. "We see the pictures from Lebanon and we think that's awful. Barrie, Ont., suffered the biggest loss from the event, as the strongest twister, F4-rated, swept through the city and killed eight people. The next day, Kelly and her family received news that her younger sister’s classmate had passed away as a result of the tornado. the same tornado that had also struck Grand Valley. 1985 killer tornado - Barrie, Ontario Images scanned from "Ontario Tornado, May31 1985" by The Barrie BANNER newspaper. The tornado measured as an F4 on the Fujita scale, generating winds exceeding 330 km/h. "The tornado hit so hard that in some places, there was simply nothing left," the CBC's Vicki Russell reported on The National that night, as viewers saw aerial footage of what the tornado had done to everything in its path. Barrie residents recount devastating 1985 tornado which left 8 dead. “I still remember, there was a house about six houses down from us, that the wind had picked up a car and meticulously placed it up on top of the treetops across the road, it was just crazy,” she said. Here's how it was found. Fifty kilometres to the east in Tottenham, Ont., another two people died as a result of the same tornado that had also struck Grand Valley. When? “We got in the car and sped off,” she said. Twelve months after the day of disaster, the survivors in these communities were still trying to rebuild their lives. Want to discuss? The Tornado destroyed countless homes, left eight people in Barrie dead and injured hundreds of others. The tornado "seemed to just pick and choose what it would hit," he said. Whether seen at ground level or from the sky up above, the damage was shocking. Most of these tornadoes had conversely shorter paths than the earlier tornadoes, likely as a result of the parent thunderstorms begin… On May 31, 1985, a destructive and deadly swarm of tornadoes swept through southern Ontario, however for years, one of these twisters was lost from the public record. Ontario reports 3,480 new COVID-19 cases, 24 deaths, Health Canada stands behind AstraZeneca COVID-19 shot after 1st blood clot death reported. Home » Barrie, ON Tornado Destruction, May 1985. “It took us a long time to get back there because of the devastation in the area.”. On the evening of May 31st, 1985, a devastating and deadly tornado outbreak struck the Northeastern United States and Canada. That hot and humid Friday afternoon my long time friend Stan and myself jumped on our bikes and left Toronto heading north up the 400 hwy for a weekend in cottage country. On May 31, 1985, a massive tornado ripped through the city of Barrie. From CBC: The frantic activity that follows the May 31, 1985, Barrie tornado is a whirlwind of its own. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. This past week marked the passing of 27 years since the May 31st day in 1985 when Barrie residents learned first hand what being in the path of a tornado is all about. two F4 tornadoes, one starting in Grand Valley at 4:15 p.m., and tracking over 115 km to Tottenham (the longest tornado track in Canadian weather history), and one that touched down in Barrie at 5 p.m., cutting a swath through the city that damaged or destroyed up to 300 homes, and resulted in 155 injuries and 8 dead. © 2018 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Kevin Shaw takes a break amidst the ruins of his home in Barrie, Ont., on June 2, 1985. The town of Grand Valley was hit by a deadly tornado on May 31, 1985 -- the same day another deadly tornado hit Barrie, Ont. Food site Epicurious will no longer post beef recipes, citing environmental harm, Tories prepare push for Telford testimony on 2018 Vance allegation, India’s deadly COVID-19 surge rooted in crowded super-spreader events, COVID-19 vaccine certificates ‘to be expected’ as part of pandemic, Trudeau says, Quebec reports almost 1,100 new COVID-19 cases, 12 more deaths. Buildings had been levelled and debris had been strewn along the tornado's path. May 20 - an F0 tornado touched down near St Raphael de Bellechasse, Quebec. Reporter Cathy Legedza recaps a day of disaster in Barrie, Ont., a year after a tornado hit the Ontario city. Get a roundup of the most important and intriguing national stories delivered to your inbox every weekday. She still remembers the “total chaos,” of that day, 33 years ago. She had been working at a restaurant in Holly, and says the hydro had gone out, forcing her and a co-worker to close early. “You could tell something was wrong because the sky was really dark,” she said. The oldest recorded tornado in Canadian history hit Ontario’s … He was trying to retrieve his bike from outside when the extreme winds swept him away. READ MORE: Before it struck Barrie, the funnel moved along the countryside lifting twice and coming back down before striking southwest of Barrie between 4:15 pm and 5:00 pm local time. Records show the 1985 Barrie tornado is still considered the strongest one to ever touch down in Ontario. How the pandemic is impacting filing your taxes, QC woman dies of blood clot after receiving AstraZeneca vaccine, Saskatoon mom warns families about irreversible parental leave error, India’s doctors beg for oxygen supplies as COVID-19 crisis worsens, Pride flag won’t fly at Halton Catholic schools, Remembering the deadly Barrie tornado 30 years later. Ontario tornado, May31 1985 '' by the Barrie BANNER newspaper Barrie BANNER newspaper only eight were... A brief sketch of just how quickly the tornado `` seemed to just pick choose. 3,480 New COVID-19 cases, 24 deaths, Health Canada stands behind AstraZeneca COVID-19 after. Along the tornado 's path just outside of the Earth. could see the debris flying in Ardagh! Through parts of Ontario on May 31, 1985, the survivors in these communities were coming... And We think that 's awful to look at the scene in the deadly Barrie tornado activity at point! Through … a killer tornado - Barrie, Ont., a year after tornado. 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