Video: Rare tornado hits southwestern B.C.—this time in Victoria suburb of Saanich

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      Normally, people associate tornadoes with the Great Plains of the central United States.

      But this afternoon, a twister appeared in the Victoria suburb of Saanich, throwing a trampoline down the block in a residential neighbourhood.

      A security camera captured footage of the tornado, and the images were turned over to the media by homeowner Keith Harding.

      According to Environment Canada, it was an EF-0 tornado, with relatively weak wind speeds of 90 to 130 kilometres per hour. It only lasted a few seconds and there were no reported injuries.

      Homeowner Keith Harding's security camera captured this tornado in Saanich.
      Keith Harding

      There are approximately 80 tornadoes per year in Canada, with the vast majority in Ontario, Quebec, and the Prairie provinces.

      There were tornadoes in Vancouver on May 1, 1988, and July 1, 1962, as well as in Ucluelet on March 7, 1966, and Nanaimo on April 25, 1955.

      The only significant damage in southwestern B.C. came from the one in Ucluelet.

      There have been five possible tornadoes in the entire province since 2003—two in Quesnel, one in Vanderhoof, and possible tornadoes in south Fort Nelson and northwest Mission.

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