Following a red-level severe thunderstorm yesterday in Wellington County, weather scientists are investigating possible tornado touchdowns in areas West of Kitchener.
The Northern Tornados Project (NTP), based out of Western University, said images circulating online of potential tornadoes in Guelph and Paris may have been AI-generated and should not be considered reliable evidence.
“We are yet unable to verify that the tornado images that had been passed around online, from Guelph and from Paris, are authentic,” David Sills, director of NTP, said in an email, “no photographer has stepped forward.”
“We still suspect these are AI-manipulated photos, but would be happy to be proven wrong.”
Sills said the investigation into those photos continues.
However, the team with NTP are pursuing leads into potential tornado touchdowns in Bamberg and Tavistock based on radar signatures.
“Those will be the next priorities for the survey team,” Sills said.
He said any findings will be published on their website, uwo.ca/ntp, or on NTP social media.
The Northern Tornadoes Project said most of the damage was reported in an area stretching from Bayfield to Cambridge, with reports of significant damage, including a barn that was destroyed.
Sills said NTP found no evidence of a tornado in Brodhagen, which was in yesterday’s path of chaos as the storm made its way over the Tri-City area from Lake Huron.
