Lucan was hit by a small tornado last Monday, but thankfully, there was only minor damage and no one was hurt. The tornado touched down around 3:25 p.m. on Monday, near the southwest edge of the community.
Lucan-Biddulph Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson said the damage was very limited, however, she was concerned there was no early warning.
myFM spoke with Environment Canada meteorologist Crawford Luke about how tornado warnings are made.
Luke said they use radar and reports from people on the ground to watch for storms. On Monday, tornadoes weren’t expected, but a storm chaser reported a funnel cloud at 3:30 p.m. Radar didn’t show much, but a photo at 3:45 p.m. confirmed it. The warning went out at 3:48 p.m., after the tornado had already formed.
Luke explained new radar updates every six minutes, but tornadoes can still appear and disappear quickly. He thanked everyone for understanding and said they’re always working to keep people safe.
