General

The aftermath: Ontario cottage country reeling from long-weekend storm

Published: May 25, 2022 Updated: May 30, 2022
Hydro poles and traffic lights
Photo by @itgetsbetter350/Twitter
May long-weekend storm causes destruction

The storm swept across Ontario causing tremendous damage and downing hydro poles and traffic lights.

Storm devastates residential neighbourhoods
Photo by @itgetsbetter350/Twitter
Residential neighbourhoods damaged

This residential street faced devastating damage to hydro poles and large pine trees.

All hands on deck
Photo by @itgetsbetter350/Twitter
Cars trapped under fallen hydro poles

Hydro personnel and firemen assess a fallen hydro pole that was trapping four cars.

Emergency response workers at a scene with fallen debris in a parking lot with cars near a residential building.
Photo by @itgetsbetter350/Twitter
Littered with debris

Work is underway to clear fallen debris from many residential areas.

A table flipped and trees bending in heavy winds and rain, from out a window.
Photo by Christie Arthurs
Joel Arthurs' family cottage

The deck of Joel Arthurs' cottage on Skootamatta Lake near Bon Echo Park, Ont.

A tall fallen red pine tree leans against a boat shed. A cottage is unharmed in the background.
Photo by Christie Arthurs
A fallen red pine

A red pine tree taken down in the storm leans against Joel Arthurs' boathouse.

A red car lays under two small trees that have been uprooted.
Photo by Joel Arthurs
Downed trees

Two small trees were uprooted and fell on Joel Arthurs' car at the cottage, causing minor damage.

Fallen tree takes down hammock with it.
Photo by @shannongoeseast/Instagram
Campsites destroyed

During a young woman's portaging trip, there was, "no warning of what was coming, we thought it was just a thunderstorm, so started setting up a rain tarp over the picnic table," Shannon said in an Instagram post. "The wind started picking up, and I was trapped between the viciously blowing wind and getting slammed into the picnic table." In the aftermath, they were left with a campsite in shambles.

Woman is cleaning up the remains of her tent that has been crushed by a tree.
Photo by @shannongoeseast/Instagram
Destroyed campsite in Bon Echo

This woman was camping in Bon Echo Provincial Park when the Ontario storm rolled in. She describes her experiences as, "the scariest thing I had ever been through in my life."

Row of large tree ripped from their roots and laying on the ground.
Photo by @happywifequilting/Instagram
Row of trees ripped from their roots

Damage from the storm outside of Jen's home, owner of Happy Wife Quilting. She shares with her Instagram followers that, "we currently have no power and had a few shingles missing but other than that, we are fine."

Baby hawk sitting on leaves in a backyard.
Photo by @ontarioinjuries/Twitter
Baby hawk displaced

The storm's strong winds blew this baby hawk from its nest and into a backyard. The bird did not appear to be injured, but was immediately transported to emergency wildlife rescue.

Row boat launched into a tree, located in a person's backyard.
Photo by @torontoben/Twitter
Something is not as it should be

Strong winds launched a boat into a tree.

Damaged trees in a forest. Trees are broken in half from strong winds.
Photo by Adam Skinner/Facebook
Forests decimated

Winds upwards of 190 kilometres per hour caused significant damage to forests and communities.

A bird's eye view shot of a house with its roof shingles completely torn away.
Photo by Ontario Storm Watch/Facebook
Tornado touches down in Uxbridge

Many roofs were torn apart by the heavy winds.

Strong winds ripped tree out by its roots and is not laying on a park in Lakefield
Photo by @CPudel/Twitter
Fallen tree in Lakefield, Ont.

Storm damage in a residential area in Lakefield, Ontario.

Greenbelt walking trail covered by fallen trees.
Photo by Northern_folk_craft/Instagram
Fallen trees block trails and roads

After the storm had passed, this Ontario resident decided to take a walk on a Greenbelt trail only to be faced with hundreds of fallen trees.

A tree splintered in half with one side hanging towards the ground.
Photo by @kez_sparks/Twitter
Significant damage to trees

A tree splintered in half at a cottage property in the Kawartha Lakes area near Bobcaygeon, Ont.

Three tall trees leaning with their roots coming out of the ground. Brown earth can be seen where the ground splits.
Photo by @AlienNextDoor/Twitter
Trees uprooted by strong winds

The storm hit Peterborough, Ont., hard. Many trees were uprooted and damaged.

A cluster of three tall trees uprooted and laying flat on the ground in front of a narrow dirt road.
Photo by @geekchef/Twitter
Massive trees toppled

People have been working to clear fallen trees from their properties and roads. This photo was taken in Gatineau, Que.

Large fallen tree squishes vehicle.
Photo by @kristyseminsky/Instagram
No vehicle spared in storm

The aftermath of a terrifying storm left many cars damaged.

Ontarians were hit by a devastating storm over the May long weekend, which has since been categorized as a derecho, a fast-paced and widespread wind and thunderstorm accompanied by flash floods, tornados, and heavy winds. Starting near Sarnia late Saturday, this storm was aggressive in travelling northeastward across Southern Ontario, reaching Ottawa on Saturday afternoon. Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) confirmed that a tornado swept through Uxbridge at a speed of 195 kilometres per hour, and left excessive damage in its wake. The NTP continues to investigate if other tornadoes were active at the time.

As of May 25th, Environment Canada has confirmed 10 deaths and extensive damage to trees, power lines, cars, and buildings. There continue to be power outages, with more than one million total customers affected on Saturday. Affected Canadians have taken to social media to share stories and pictures of the damage left in the storm’s wake.

5 ways to stay safe during a lightning storm

Joel Arthurs, cottager and president of the Skootamatta District Ratepayers Association (SDRA), was at his family cottage on Skootamatta Lake when the storm hit. “Across the entire property, we probably lost upwards of 50 trees, easily,” he says. Joel and his father were scrambling to close windows, tie down the boat, and secure the cottage when the derecho arrived. “I was just coming around to the front of the cottage to take the umbrella down on the front deck, and a chunk of one of the large red pines on the property came crashing down the hill 20 feet in front of me,” recalls Arthurs. His father had to ride out the storm in the boathouse.

While there was no damage done to their cottage, the property suffered a severed power line and many trees were uprooted or snapped in half. “We’re fortunate the cottage didn’t get hit,” he says. “The car took two small trees to the roof, but it’s repairable.” The SDRA received many messages from community members whose properties were affected, including reports of totalled cars or trees going through cottage roofs. He is thankful that no injuries have been reported in the area so far.

Check out how you can keep your cottage safe from flooding

Featured Video

Looking to upkeep or renovate? Let Cottage Life magazine advise and inspire you.

Subscribe Now!

Tags

Related Articles