This is a list of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks that have occurred in Canada since the year 2000. Due to increasing detection, particularly in the US and southern Canada, numbers of counted tornadoes have increased markedly in recent decades although number of actual tornadoes and counted significant tornadoes has not. In older events, the number of tornadoes officially counted is likely underestimated.
On average, there are around 80 confirmed and unconfirmed tornadoes that touch down in Canada each year, with most occurring in the southern Canadian Prairies, Southern Ontario and southern Quebec. Canada ranks second in the world for the most tornadoes per year, after the United States. The most common types are F0 to F2 in damage intensity level and usually result in minor structural damage to barns, wood fences, roof shingles, chimneys, uprooted or snapped tree limbs and downed power lines. Fewer than 5% of tornadoes in Canada are rated F3 or higher in intensity, where wind speeds are in excess of . Prior to April 1, 2013, Canada used a slightly modified Fujita scale, and as of that date the Enhanced Fujita scale, again slightly modified, was put into use to rate tornado intensity, based on the damage to buildings and vegetation.
Each year on average, about 43 tornadoes occur across the Canadian Prairies and about 17 occur across Ontario and Quebec. New Brunswick and the British Columbia Interior are also recognized tornado zones. All other provinces and territories have significantly less threat from tornadoes. The peak season in Canada is through the summer months (June to August) when clashing air masses move north, as opposed to the spring season in the United States southern-central plains, although tornadoes in Canada have occurred in spring, fall and very rarely winter. In certain years like 2012, when there had been drought in the American Midwest and The Great Plains but the Canadian Prairies had higher humidity, Saskatchewan recorded more tornadoes that July than the entire USA.
The reported increase in numbers of tornadoes in recent years may reflect more reporting by citizens and media involvement rather than an actual increase in tornado occurrence (although some natural increase has not been ruled out), in addition to better detection technology i.e. Doppler weather radar and satellite imagery. The upswing could also be attributed to other factors, such as improved aerial and ground damage assessment after the fact in sparsely populated areas (particularly the case in remote parts of the Canadian Prairies and Northern Ontario, for example), better trained spotter capabilities and increased use of digital recording devices by citizens. The Northern Tornadoes Project attempts to gather more systematic data on tornado prevalence. Tornadoes in Canada are enough of a threat for a public warning system to be in place, overseen by the national weather agency, Environment Canada (EC).
For a variety of reasons, such as Canada's lower population density and generally stronger housing construction due to the colder climate, Canadian tornadoes have historically caused far fewer fatalities than tornadoes in the United States. The deadliest tornado in Canadian history, the Regina Cyclone of June 30, 1912, does not even rank in the top 25 when compared to American tornado fatalities. Urban centres are not immune from the threat of severe tornadoes. Twelve medium to large size Canadian cities have been hit by significant strength tornadoes (F3/EF3 or higher), which caused large-scale damage and fatalities: Toronto (1868); Regina (1912); Windsor (1946 and 1974); Sarnia (1953); LaSalle (1956); Sudbury (1970); Woodstock (1979); Lloydminster (1983); Barrie (1985); Edmonton (1987); Aylmer (1994 and 2018); and Ottawa-Gatineau (1888 and 2018).
All figures for damages are in Canadian dollars.
2000s 2000 May 5 - an F0 tornado was confirmed near Hazzards Corners, Ontario, northeast of Madoc. It left a long path, causing minor damage to a house and knocking over approximately 100 trees. May 9 - two anticyclonic tornadoes touched down in Southern Ontario, causing minor damage. The first was given an F0 rating, and occurred north of Amherstburg. Multiple trees were knocked over along a path. The second tornado, an F1, touched down in Malden Centre. It tore the roof from a storage shed, and knocked over a large shipping container along a path. No injuries were reported with either storm. May 23 - an F2 tornado touched down near Appin, Ontario, damaging a pig barn and killing several pigs. Multiple homes also sustained damage, and hydro poles were snapped. No injuries were reported. May 24 - a confirmed F1 tornado hit Gloucester, Ontario, a suburb within the city of Ottawa. It snapped trees, tore the roof off a house and ripped the canopy from a gas station. June 22 - an F0 tornado was confirmed near the town of Quyon, Quebec. July 14 - an F3 tornado struck Green Acres Campground in Pine Lake, Alberta. Known as the Pine Lake tornado, it killed 12 people and caused over $13 million in damage. It was ranked as the fourth deadliest tornado in Canadian history. July 17 - three tornadoes were confirmed in Ontario after several supercell thunderstorms developed over the province. An F2 tornado formed over the city of Guelph, lasting approximately 23 minutes and leaving a path of damage long. Damage was estimated at over $2 million and one minor injury was reported. The same storm also produced a second, unrated tornado near Waterdown. The third tornado, an F1, occurred in Simcoe County, near the town of Melduf. It snapped and uprooted trees, and caused minor crop damage. An aluminum shed was destroyed. July 18 - an F0 tornado touched down near Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, Quebec. July 23 - an F3 tornado touched down and destroyed one home and tossed farm equipment near Marwayne, Alberta, northwest of Lloydminster. July 24 - a tornado outbreak in southern Manitoba spawned at least 4 confirmed tornadoes, including a large tornado which touched down for 10 minutes, from 6:10 pm to 6:20 pm, west of Brunkild, Manitoba. The Brunkild tornado did not hit anything, resulting in an F0 rating. The other confirmed tornadoes were located north of Elm Creek, Manitoba (4:22 pm), north of Brookdale, Manitoba(5:19 pm), west of Neepawa, Manitoba(5:50 pm) and south of Plum Coulee, Manitoba (6:08 pm). July 26 - a tornado touched down briefly near Wabamun, Alberta, about west of Edmonton, causing minor damage. August 1 - a tornado struck Viking, Alberta. August 6 - a tornado touched down near Elnora, Alberta, southeast of Pine Lake. The tornado occurred while people were gathering for a memorial service in Pine Lake for those who died in the Pine Lake tornado just a few weeks earlier. August 9 - a tornado was confirmed near Sangudo, Alberta. August 9 - an F1 tornado touched down near Tilbury, Ontario, destroying a barn and causing heavy damage to two farmhouses. No injuries were reported.
2001 June 8 – an F0 tornado was confirmed near Upper Manitou Lake, about south of Dryden, Ontario, causing extensive tree damage. June 19 – two tornadoes touched down in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. An F2 struck near Alma, lasting about half a minute and destroying two houses, a barn and a garage. The second tornado, an F0, was confirmed in the same region near Pointe-Taillon National Park. July 1 – an F1 tornado was confirmed near Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec. It tore the roof from a house and knocked out power to several communities.Climat-Quebec – Tornadoes in Quebec since 1985 July 4 – four tornadoes touched down in Southern Ontario causing minor damage. Three were given an F0 rating, and were confirmed near the towns of Argyle, Campbellville and Ayr. The fourth was rated as an F1 and touched down in the Fenelon Falls area knocking over a silo. Two other tornadoes were reported, but not confirmed, near the towns of Arthur and Bancroft. No injuries were reported. July 4 – two F1 tornadoes were confirmed near the communities of Lac-des-Plages and Brébeuf, Quebec. No significant damage was reported.Climat-Quebec – 2001 Quebec Tornadoes July 10 – an F0 tornado was confirmed near Saguenay, Quebec. July 13 – a tornado was spotted near Caroline, Alberta north of Calgary. August 4 – an F1 tornado touched down in Matagami, Quebec. August 9 – an F1 tornado was confirmed near Alma, Quebec.
2002 May 31 – North Bay, Ontario, was struck by two weak tornadoes. June 23 – a weak tornado touched down in Ottawa between Kanata and Barrhaven. July 28 – severe thunderstorms over Northern Ontario produced a tornado over Halfway Lake Provincial Park ( north of Sudbury) where 800 people were camping at the time, fallen trees injure 4 campers. Up to rain falls in just 3 hours at Stratford and Tavistock.
2003 June 11 – Laval, Quebec, was struck by an F1 tornado that damaged trees, and many warehouses in the industrial park just north of Autoroute 440. It also caused some vehicles to go off the road as it crossed west to east both lanes of Autoroute 15 during rush hour. July 2 – a tornado touched down on an area of Narrow Hills Provincial Park northwest of Nipawin, Saskatchewan. It destroyed several residential trailers, turned over a tractor-trailer unit, and caused a number of injuries; the storm also dropped baseball-sized hail that is typical of tornado-producing thunderstorms in the Prairies. July 4 – an F1 tornado struck the communities of Saint-Jacques, New Brunswick, Moulin-Morneault, Saint-Joseph-de-Madawaska, and Deuxieme-Sault. Uprooted trees, damaged homes and businesses. Site inspected by a Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) forecaster. July 8 – an F0 touched down near Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc, Quebec, in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. Several buildings and trees were damaged. July 11 – a tornado touched down near Westlock County, Alberta, north of Edmonton. July 14 - a tornado struck Gretna, Manitoba, leveling crops, blowing down sheds and garages and knocking down hydro poles. Trees up to a metre in diameter were struck down by the tornado. August 13 – a tornado touched down on a golf course and lake resort west of Edmonton in Wabamun, Alberta causing some injuries.CTV Calgary – Tornado touches down west of Edmonton
2004 April 18 – an early season tornado touched down near Raymond, Alberta, about southeast of Lethbridge. May 22 – May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence, one strong F2 struck near Mitchell, Ontario, at 6 pm EDT (UTC−04:00) and an F3 in nearby Gad's Hill, causing extensive property and infrastructure damage. June 9 – an F1 struck near Escott, Ontario, destroying a barn and a two-car garage. One man was killed when a tree fell on the porch he was standing on. June 13 – a large tornado touched down near Vulcan, Alberta. The storm was also accompanied by hail greater than in diameter. July 8 – an F2 tornado touched down in Grande Prairie, Alberta, causing damage to homes and businesses, and flipping over vehicles.CBC Alberta – Alberta cleaning up from Tornado July 11 – a tornado briefly touched down in Andrew, Alberta, northeast of Edmonton. July 31 – four confirmed tornadoes touched down in southern Quebec. An F1 in Châteauguay on Montreal's south shore, another F1 in Durham-Sud, an F1 in Saint-Albert, which cut a path long, and an F0 in Chesterville. August 10 – two F1 tornadoes occurred near the Ottawa, Ontario, region. The first near Burnstown, southeast of Renfrew. It ripped the roof off a barn, snapped several trees and destroyed a shed. The second tornado happened near Thurso.
2005 May 23 – a tornado touched down in and around Nipawin, Saskatchewan. June 4 – several cold-core funnel clouds were spotted in Central and Southern Alberta. Four of which briefly touched the ground. Several trees were damaged.