Experts have confirmed that two weak tornadoes touched down in the Kingston area on June 30, 2026, causing damage to farms, trees, and a historic barn.
The Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University sent a team to the region on July 3 to survey the damage. They found an EF1 tornado tracked 18.2 km through Verona, Hartington, and Harrowsmith. That twister packed winds up to 150 km/h and was as wide as 510 metres, ripping off barn roofs and snapping trees.
A second, weaker tornado was rated EF0. It started near Silver Corners and cut a 10.9 km path to CFB Kingston, with winds reaching 115 km/h and a width of 250 metres. Researchers say both tornadoes spun up along the leading edge of a fast-moving bow-echo thunderstorm.
No injuries were reported from either event. Environment Canada had issued a red-level tornado warning for the Kingston area at 12:46 p.m. that day, lifting it shortly before 1:30 p.m.
One Verona resident, Danielle Miles, said the tornado hit without much warning. “The tornado hit very suddenly,” she said. “The tornado warning didn’t come until after it already hit; it was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.”
In Harrowsmith, John and Brenda Lesperance watched their more than 150-year-old barn lose its roof. Drone photos later showed roof pieces flung into a neighbour’s field.
The 18.2 km track of the Verona twister is the third-longest tornado path recorded in Canada so far in 2026. The EF scale rates tornadoes from EF0 to EF5 based on damage, and Canada has used the scale since April 2013.
