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Topic spans: 1946 - 2000
Deadly Skies: Canada's Most Destructive Tornadoes
A tornado is the stuff of nightmares. Amid heavy rain and hail, huge thunderclouds roll in and the skies turn greenish-black. And then a rope-like funnel cloud punches down, smashing everything in its path. Tornadoes can be the most violent storms on earth, and Canada averages 80 of them each year. From scientists and storm chasers obsessed with their destructive power to the victims left in a twister's wake, we look at Canada's deadliest tornadoes of the past century.
Photo of 1946 Windsor tornado courtesy of Malcolm Geast, Environment Canada
5 television clips
12 radio clips
1985 Barrie tornado
Broadcast Date: June 3, 1985
The frantic activity that follows the May 31, 1985, Barrie tornado is a whirlwind of its own. The storm is devastating: eight killed, 155 injured, 300 homes destroyed and $100 million in damage. Yet in its wake, local residents are transformed from terrified victims to a unified army bent on rescue, restoring order and providing comfort. Reporter Doug James follows Barrie residents through 48 hours of hell.1985 Barrie tornado
• The Barrie tornado is often listed as the "Hopeville to Barrie tornado" describing the path the twister took.• In addition to the direct damage done by the tornado, there was significant damage from severe thunderstorms and hail, which knocked out power and damaged 150 farms. Some estimates put the total cost of the disaster at $300 million.
• In an interview with Barbara Frum following this documentary, reporter Doug James said the most moving thing he noticed in Barrie was the almost compulsive desire by tornado survivors to salvage something from their ruined homes — a photograph, a toy, anything unbroken — that would ground them, and tie their uncertain future with their life before the disaster struck.
• In this clip we see some of the bizarre scenes that inevitably follow a tornado strike, such as homes with no roof or walls, yet clothes still hanging neatly in an exposed closet. Barrie tornado survivor David Wilson says that after his house was struck, the first thing he noticed was the foreign smell of fresh soil on his basement floor. Dirt had been stripped from farms outside the city, and driven with such force that it permeated even relatively undamaged buildings.
• The centre of a tornado is a zone of very low pressure. Some people mistakenly believe that the difference in pressure between the funnel and a house can make the house actually explode. In reality, the terrific winds simply blow away roofs, allowing walls to blow down outward. An even more dangerous accompanying myth is that opening your windows will equalize the pressure. Houses are not well sealed, and the air escapes regardless. Going near a window merely puts you in harm's way.
1985 Barrie tornado
Medium: Television
Program: The Journal
Broadcast Date: June 3, 1985
Host: Mary Lou Finlay, Barbara Frum
Reporter: Doug James
Duration: 14:51
Last updated:
June 2, 2005
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17 clips in this topic . page
Television
3:21
Aug. 20, 1970
Violent storm kills six and injures 200 in northern Ontario.
Television
4:11
March 27, 1964
Residents of Port Alberni, B.C., pick up the pieces after 1964's massive tsunami.
1985 Barrie tornado.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: June 2, 2005.
[Page consulted on Feb. 14, 2012.]