‘Regina Cyclone’ to the ‘1974 Super Outbreak’: Some of Canada’s worst tornadoes over the years

A tornado that touched down in Barrie, Ont., on Thursday has injured several people and caused what police described as “catastrophic” damage.

According to Environment Canada, Canada gets more tornadoes than any other country except the U.S. Here’s a look at some high-profile twisters:

1912: Known as the “Regina Cyclone,” Canada’s deadliest tornado ripped through six city blocks in Regina on June 30, killing at least 28 people, injuring 300 others, and leaving a quarter of the city’s population homeless. While it only lasted for a few minutes, it took the city almost 50 years to pay for the damages.

1922: Multiple tornadoes hit southern Manitoba on June 22, killing five people and causing $2 million in damages.

1946: Canada’s third deadliest tornado tore through the Detroit River on June 17, killing 17 people and damaging 400 homes in Windsor, Ont., and the surrounding areas. The twister also demolished over a hundred barns and farm buildings.

1974: A series of deadly tornadoes — known as the “1974 Super Outbreak” — struck Ontario and multiple U.S. states between April 3 and 4. Eight people died when a funnel cloud touched down in Windsor, and over 300 died in the 13 affected American states. With 148 tornadoes confirmed, it was the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period.

1985: Fourteen tornadoes hit multiple Ontario communities on May 31, including Barrie, Grand Valley, Orangeville and Tottenham. Twelve people total died, eight of them in Barrie, and hundreds more were injured. The family of tornadoes also destroyed or damaged more than 1,000 buildings.

1987: Canada’s second-worst killer tornado struck Edmonton on July 31, killing 27 people. Sometimes known as the “Black Friday Tornado,” winds reached 400 km/h and hail as large as softballs fell from the sky.

1996: Tornado-related damage in Canada topped $50 million this year after multiple tornadoes ripped through parts of Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta during the spring and summer.

2000: Canada’s first deadly tornado in 13 years struck Green Acres campground near Red Deer, Alta. on July 14, killing 12 people and injuring 140 more. It was the deadliest tornado in North America in 2000. As well, 91 tornadoes were reported throughout the Prairies that summer.

2007: On June 22, the country’s first F5 tornado — the most powerful on the Fujita intensity scale — slammed Elie, Man., with winds exceeding 420 km/h. No fatalities or serious injuries were reported, though the strong winds severed utility poles, uprooted trees, and reportedly picked up an entire house and carried it a few hundred metres through the air.

2011: A historic Ontario town was devastated after the province saw its strongest hurricane since 1996. One person was killed and 40 more were injured after an F3 tornado hit Goderich on Aug. 21.

2018: Six tornadoes swept across the Ottawa area and through neighbouring Quebec, destroying about 50 homes. Environment Canada said one tornado that ripped through the small community of Dunrobin, Ont., registered as an EF3. The cluster of tornadoes left about 25 people injured, but no one died.