Weekend tornado confirmed to have touched down at Vancouver UBC campus

It’s not something we’re used to in Vancouver, but it’s been confirmed a tornado touched down at UBC over the weekend.

A tornado watch was issued Saturday evening, and then quickly lifted. Following an on-site storm damage survey, Environment Canada has released a preliminary storm assessment, which says the tornado touched down at 5:10 p.m. near the UBC University Golf Club.

Trees were uprooted and broken, scattering debris around the area, the authority reported. It also says a vehicle was damaged by a tree and power lines were downed by an estimated wind speed of 90 to 110 km/h.

It's confirmed! An EF0 tornado occurred at 5:10pm PDT on Nov 6th, 2021 near the UBC Golf Club. Read more details here https://t.co/jnhFxBcfQK #BCSTORM pic.twitter.com/FfcbMjwOly

— ECCC Weather British Columbia (@ECCCWeatherBC) November 8, 2021

The preliminary rating for the tornado is EF0, which is the weakest on a scale of EF0 to EF5.

CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss said Sunday the weather event came amid a months-long stretch of special weather statements and warnings that signal a troubling trend.

“If you go all the way back to the heat dome, it is an unprecedented pattern within the last couple of 100 years that we’ve been keeping accurate records. That’s a long time in the scope of our weather picture,” he explained.

“We’re starting to see things changing. The weather is becoming more dramatic, more dynamic, more active, more severe, and more variable. Our cold weather is colder, our warm weather events are warmer, our active weather periods are more dramatic.”

Related articles:

• Vancouver tornado watch did not meet Alert Ready criteria

• Tornado watch latest example of ‘more active, more dynamic, more severe’ weather in B.C.

• Downed trees, trolley lines result in road closure on UBC campus

While any one of these recent events would be noteworthy, they become all the more concerning when looked at as a whole, according to Kuss.

Related video: Vancouver’s ‘Tornado watch’ example of more active weather events

The tornado prompted the closure of University Blvd at UBC between Blanca and Westbrook Mall due to fallen trees and damaged trolley lines.

Footage posted online shows the storm — which resulted in a brief tornado warning for parts of Metro Vancouver — shows hail, lightning, and whipping winds.

Although the tornado caught the attention of people across Metro Vancouver, the concern level at the time did not warrant a “broadcast-intrusive” alert, according to the federal agency that sends such alerts.

Although a “tornado warning” meets the criteria for an Alert Ready broadcast, a “tornado watch” does not.

With files from Lisa Steacy, Aly Laube, Sonia Aslam, and Ashley Burr