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by HAVEN HOME HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING
Jul 09, 2026 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 6 minute read
A storm that hit on June 30 resulted in tornado warnings for the Kingston area. This image shows the storm entering Kingston, captured on Cordukes Road just south of Unity Road at 12:45 p. m. Photo by Connor Mockett /Supplied photo
As northern Kingston’s sky darkened on June 30, Chad Locke sensed a storm was approaching.
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Locke lives on Orser Road near northern Kingston and was working from home when he felt the storm arrive. He noted that conditions quickly changed as it approached, describing it as one of the strongest storms he’s experienced since moving there in 2013.
“It seemed everywhere you look, there’s either something flying through the air, trees falling down,” Locke said in an interview with The Whig. “It was just pure and utter chaos.”
According to Environment Canada, two tornadoes touched down during a storm system affecting Kingston on June 30.
Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, mentioned in an interview with The Whig that this storm formed as a warm front passed over eastern Ontario around midday. This marked a shift between seasonal temperatures and hot humid weather leading into Canada Day.
Coulson explained that as this warm front moved through, it created an organized line of thunderstorms traveling northwest to southeast. This line generated two tornadoes-one near Verona around 12:35 p. m., followed by another one in Kingston about fifteen minutes later.
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The tornado near Verona was classified as EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale-this being its second lowest rating-with maximum winds hitting around150 km/h. It traveled for about18.2 kilometers while reaching a peak width exceeding500 metersand caused damage to trees along with nearby barns losing roofs.
The tornado recorded in Kingston received an EF0 rating-the lowest classification-with peak winds estimated at115 km/h. It covered10.9 kilometersin its path while having a maximum width of250 meters.
In an interview with The Whig regarding this event, s torm chaser Connor Mockett shared his experience tracking this system hours before it reached Kingston. Co-owner of Canadian Weather Live-a You Tube channel focused on severe weather events across Canada-Mockett left Winchester at11 a. m. to reach Kingston before bad weather struck; he arrived about ten minutes ahead of time. P
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Mockett initially traveled towards County Road38 up through Harrowsmithbefore moving along Unity Road outof Glenvale. Hewitnessedthe issuanceofa tornado warningwhiletrackingthe celland pausednear Sydenham Roadto snap some pictures.
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This hasnotloaded yet, butyourarticlecontinuesbelow. Mockett stated he andhis colleaguesat Canadian Weather Live had already been monitoringthe incomingstorm even before Environment Canada issuedatawornado warning. By utilizingradar velocity, Mockett revealed they detected rotation northwestof Veronaaroundfourteen minutesprior tothewarningbeing announced. He notedthat becauseof highprecipitation within thestorm, theactualtwisterwouldbe challenging-or nearly impossible-to spot. “You’re almost never goingto seeit, becauseit’ll be completelywrappedinrain, purposely invisiblefor themostpart,”hesaid. Atthatmoment, Mockettdidn’t realizehow closehewas tothetornado’s path. After confirmationofits trajectory, Mockettrealizedthatittookplace “right besidehim.” Following his photoshoot, Mockettdrove toward Highway15headinginto Kingston’seastendwherehe witnessedshreddedtreesandsnapppedlimbs surroundingthe main streetareaalong Highway15. He also took time topartially clearbranchesfromtheroadin areasubsequentlyvalidatedasbeingwithin therangeofthetornado’sdestruction path. This has not loaded yet, butyour article continues below. For Locke himself, multiple uncertainities arose regarding whetherhewassimply caughtin themiddleofa strongerportionofthe stormrather than directlyaffectedbythetornado; nonetheless, the aftermathwas undeniable. Notably, a16-by-12-foot barn door flew offclearingafencebefore landing ina neighbor’sfield. Additionally, several roofing sections were rippedfromhis barn alongside multiple fences being knockeddown, andapproximatelytwenty-to-thirty trees succumbing todamage throughout his property. “(We’ve) probably got enough firewood for thenextfiveyears,” hesaid. Despite such destruction. Locke shared howfortunate he feltthat none ofthedownedtrees damagedhis house. He mentioned howthe powerfulstorm lefthis residencewithout electricity for abouta dayandahalf; however, this wasn’t theseasoned only evidence showcasingthe disaster’s impact. “One coulddrivearound seeing much carnage-but even withoutdrivingaround-all Icould hear were sirensandchainsaws.” Still even amidst such turmoil, the response shown by neighbors stood out positively. Locke notedthat Jack Shillington-a neighbor-came overwith his father, Kendall, to assist replacing some panelsforthebarnroofduring aholiday while another neighbor lent him awoodchipperfor several days afterward. This has not loaded yet, butyour article continues below. On Sunday morning approximatelyfifteen friends arrivedat Locke’s place assisting intaking backthemoved barn dooronto his property. Others broughtchainsaws helpingwithcleanup efforts. “Everybody helpedout,” Locke recalled.“Itwas reallyniceseeing suchsupport.” Although tornadoes arenot frequent visitors inthe Kingston region, Coulson pointed out that they dooccur occasionally. In fact, this areahas witnessed downdrafts producing strongstraight-line winds without rotational activitypreviously alongwithweakertornadoevents, suchasan EF0 instance occurring backin September2021near Navy Bay. Coulson further elaboratedthatthey make available informationregardingthese storms throughthe Northern Tornado Project(NTP). This initiative servesasa reference pointfor trackingstormactivityusingacentral database while employing newertechnology compared topast reliance upon human reporting methodsincludingdrones. aircraft, and satellite imagery. Since2017, the NTPtracked three significant incidents around Kingston covering adownburst close Lemoine Pointbackin2019, togetherwith priormentioned EF0Tornado backin2021 (which occurrednear Navy Bay), plus themostrecent twisters impacted June30. 7 This hasnotloaded yet, butyour article continues below. Coulson admittedittakesmore timetodraw definitive connectionsbetweensingularstorms like theseand broaderclimate trends. Nevertheless, researchers continueinvestigationsto determinewhetherpatterns associatedwith tornadoesand damagingwinds are evolvingacross Ontario. “One theorypresently suggestsashifttowardsgreaterfrequencyofactive storms emergingineastern Ontario-the Ottawa Valley-and southern Quebecover recentyearslikelyleadingtoadecrease insouthwestern Ontario historicallyconsideredastheregionmost proneoverall. Butresearchstillremains very preliminary, andfurtherstudiesneedstobefinishedbefore drawinganyconclusions,” Coulson explained. Regarding Mockett’s perspectiveon June30, itappearedamongthestrongerstormsherememberschasing acrosstheeastern partsof Ontario. “It wasn’t technicallythestongestone Iever chasedherebutdefinitely rankswithin mytop five,”said Mockett.“Itcertainly qualifiedasa veryverystrongstorm.” Additionally, this particulareventformed partofa larger patternofintenseweather occurrences spanningacross Ontario. Mockettsaid Canadian Weather Live anticipatedseveral active days beginning June30through July3continuingtheir observations even afterleaving Kingston area. 8 This hasn’tloaded yet, butyourarticlecontinuesbelow. For Coulson, this recentstormservesasareasonertowatchclosely sinceeastern Ontarious fullyexperiencingits summer severeweatherseasonusually runningbetween Apriluntil late September orearly October. Hewarned locals needing continuous awareness surrounding Environment Canada forecastsalongwithwarnings particularlyondaysholdingthunderstormrisk. “These storms can develop swiftlyand move quickly,”Coulson cautioned.“So preparation must always align with ever-changing conditions.” Moreover, Coulsonhighlighted importance concerninglightning safety stating if anyone hears thunder they should immediately seek shelter regardless if lightningisvisible remaining indoors for thirtyminutesfollowinglastthunder rumble. “When thunder roars goindoors,”Coulsonsummarized. Share this article in yoursocial network
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