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Video shows tornado moving ashore in northern Ontario

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A beautiful Labour Day weekend at the lake was interrupted by some extreme weather when a tornado touched down in northern Ontario.

Video captured by Brent Schaworski appears to show a waterspout forming over Marks Lake in northwestern Ontario on Aug. 31.

The 32-second video shows the tornado move ashore, flipping a boat lift and dock about 84 kilometres west of Thunder Bay.

The Northern Tornadoes Project, a group of researchers based out of Western University, used satellite surveys to investigate the incident.

"Damage assessed as EF0 tornado with (an) estimated maximum wind speed of 90 km/h," the group said in a report.

"Information available insufficient to accurately estimate track length, max. path width and tornado motion. Satellite imagery review did not reveal any visible damage."

No injuries were reported in the incident.

"The odd thing was this was the only damage. People down the lake had no idea it happened," Schaworski said on social media after the tornado.

"If I didn’t see it happen, I wouldn’t believe it."

Bryson Wark said on social media he was on the other side of the lake when it happened.

"Could feel it although I couldn’t see it, was some absolute craziness," Wark said.

"It went from plus 20 (C) outside to what felt like 0 (C) almost immediately. And continued on back and forth for about 5-10 minutes roughly and every time it went cold it happened so quickly it almost felt like it was taking my breath away."

The Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed three tornadoes in the northwest in June.

The first one, an EF2, happened further north June 4 at about 6:35 p.m. at Landings Lake and had an estimated maximum wind speed of 190 km/h, a 5.67 km track length and 350 metre path width.

Two EF1 tornadoes were confirmed even further north June 24 at Brunette Lake and Apitu Lake between 7 and 7:30 p.m.

Maximum wind speed was estimated at 145 km/h.

Five other incidents in the northeast have been recorded this year, including a July 30 funnel cloud over Lake Huron near Manitoulin Island and a June 13 downburst at Mowat Landing that is still being investigated.

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