Meteorologist sees no danger in latest funnel clouds
There was no need to worry about the funnel clouds you might have seen over Windsor-Essex, says an Environment Canada meteorologist.
Despite two consecutive days of sightings of the weather phenomenon, Gerald Chang assures that there have been no local reports of tornadoes touching down. “That’s actually not unusual,” Chang said on Wednesday. “We’re talking about unsettled weather. After the heat wave at the beginning of July, we had a bit of a dry spell. But then, towards the end of the month, the pattern changed. “Luckily, none of the funnel clouds posed a danger. They never touched down. And looking at the radar, those storms didn’t seem to cause a lot of trouble.”
Most often associated with thunderstorm activity, funnel clouds develop when a rotating column of wind extends from the base of a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud. According to reader-submitted photos, there were funnel clouds in the sky over our region on Monday and Tuesday afternoon and evening — particularly visible from locations in south Windsor, Tecumseh and St. Clair Beach. Tecumseh resident Chris Wainscott said he noticed twin funnel clouds on Tuesday evening as he was driving on McNorton Street, between Banwell and Lesperance Road.
“One was dark and the other was light,” Wainscott said. “They got bigger, they got smaller. I watched them for about 10 minutes before they dissipated.”
“They were pretty far off. They could have been over Belle River.” Another Tecumseh resident, Jamie Pepper, said the skies looked scary enough that his kids didn’t want to get out of their vehicle in the parking lot of St. Clair Shores Shopping Centre.
But Chang said the presence of funnel clouds doesn’t necessarily mean a tornado is impending. “Not all funnel clouds come down to the ground, and even when they do, it depends on the strength of that rotating column of air. The scale of damage can be nothing.”
However, Chang added that he’s glad the public is aware of weather changes, and the possibility of severe conditions. “Thunderstorms can pose a risk,” Chang said. “Something as simple as lightning. Thunderstorms don’t have to be severe to have lightning — and lightning can kill. “When there’s lightning and thunder, it’s time to seek shelter. It’s advisable to not come outside until 30 minutes after the last strike of lightning or the last clap of thunder.”
Heavy rain can also cause problems, such as localized flooding. WXYZ Detroit reported on Wednesday that neighbourhoods on their side of the border experienced swamped roads, wind damage and power outages as a result of an overnight storm. Asked about the chance of more funnel clouds appearing this summer, Chang said the possibility increases if we get another wave of warm temperatures. “Thunderstorms need heat and humidity to develop.”