In July 2000.
Tornado Warnings/Watches were being disseminated on local TV Stations.
Where my cousin lives in Guelph, Ontario - a lovely F2 tornado touches down in her neighbourhood.....she went out to watch it, and then her son saw debris, cars being tossed into the air....my cousin making like a banana with son in hand, into her basement. Husband watching TV wondering what the hell is going on....power goes out....
.....I get a call from my cousin, telling me a tornado went through their neighbourhood.
Guelph is about an hour from Toronto. I can tell from the radio/TV, we're in for a doozie of a storm, and it's bearing down on Toronto.
I decide to grab my camera , and go outside to see if the storm is approaching.
No only has it approached, it is overhead, and the sky was thick green/black, churning and well...I aimed my camera skyward. WOW!
My neighbour, across the street, is originally from Woodstock, Ontario. That is where a nasty F3 tornado killed a few people back in 1979. She met me on the street, she looked up, pointed at the rotating funnel clouds and then all of a sudden a thick bright FLASH and the loudest thunder I have ever heard. (ear splitting) I damn near soiled my underpants, because it was within a few yards of us, down the street. A tree was hit, and the sound of the explosion, and heat....and the tingling on my skin.... I knew I was close, and so was my neighbour.
She told me, in no uncertain terms: 'Ray go home NOW, get in, and stay low...this is not good'.
Then the lightnings intensity picked up, then the rain, then the hail...and it was pitch black outside with high winds and well....the power flickered, then it went out....and that last 5-10 minutes. The trees in the neighbourhood were creaking and I honestly thought a tornado was on the ground, heading for our house.
Then...almost as quick as it came, the sky cleared, and the sun was peeking out to the west in the early evening sky.
That was scary. Me trying to get photos of rotating clouds and the storm, and almost being hit by lightning as a result:
I saw the video footage of the Guelph tornado, and well.....it was frightening.