This page documents all tornadoes confirmed by Environment Canada and the University of Western Ontario's Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) in Canada throughout 2023. Based on statistical modelling by Sills et al. (2012), an average of 230 tornadoes likely occur across the country each year; however, only 61 of these are actually documented annually based on 1980–2009 averages. This makes Canada the second-most active country in the world for tornadoes. The majority of confirmed events occur in the more densely populated areas of southern Canada, where people are around to report them. In Alberta specifically, meteorologists estimated that 30–50 percent of tornadoes that actually occur go unreported, with NTP executive director David Sills stating, "we just don't get reports from the moose."[1] In an attempt to better document the nation's tornadoes, the NTP was founded in 2017 as a joint venture by the University of Western Ontario and ImpactWX. Their initial scope was to catalogue previously unrecognized tornadoes in densely forested areas across Ontario and Quebec; however, this later expanded to tornadoes nationwide in 2019.
The year started slowly, possibly due to thunderstorm activity being suppressed by smoke from record-breaking wildfires.[2] The first tornado of 2023 occurred on May 11 in Alberta while the strongest was an EF4 tornado on July 1, also in Alberta. The most active day of the year was an outbreak of 10 EF0 tornadoes on June 14 in rural areas of Alberta.[3]
| Month | Total | Enhanced Fujita scale rating | Deaths | Injuries | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF0 | EF1 | EF2 | EF3 | EF4 | EF5 | |||||
| January | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| February | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| March | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| April | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| May | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| June | 25 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| July | 18 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| August | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| September | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| October | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| November | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| December | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0--> | |
| Total | 47 | 35 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| EF# | Location | County / District / Municipality | Province | Start Coord. | Date | Time (UTC) | Path length | Max width |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF1 | S of Cayley | Foothills | Alberta | 00:07 | ||||
| A brief landspout tornado was videoed; no damage was observed.[4] This was the first landspout classified as a tornado by the NTP following a change in operations in June 2023.[5] | ||||||||
| EF1 | S of Regina | Sherwood No. 159 | Saskatchewan | 01:52 | 0.6abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 200abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A brief tornado tore the roof from a large machine shed, causing one of its walls to collapse, and scattered debris up to 2.5km (01.6miles) downstream.[6] The tornado was described as being unusual for this time of year.[7] Equally unusual is that this was the only tornado reported in Saskatchewan in 2023. [8] | ||||||||
| EF0 | N of Botha | Stettler No. 6 | Alberta | 22:35 | 2.33abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 240abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A tornado was videoed and high-resolution satellite imagery revealed a damage swath through crop fields. | ||||||||
| EF0 | NW of Carberry | North Cypress – Langford | Manitoba | 23:53 | 0.46abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 70abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A brief landspout tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | S of Lomond | Vulcan | Alberta | 00:55 | ||||
| A tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | S of Beachville | South-West Oxford | Ontario | 23:39 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | NW of Talbotville | Southwold | Ontario | 00:30 | 2.44abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 40abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A brief tornado tossed patio furniture at a restaurant and damaged trees. A 2x4 was lodged into the wall of the building. | ||||||||
| EF0 | N of Iron Springs | Lethbridge | Alberta | 20:20 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | N of Turin | Lethbridge | Alberta | 20:42 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | NW of Turin | Lethbridge | Alberta | 20:46 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | NNW of Turin | Lethbridge | Alberta | 20:58 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | SW of Enchant | Taber | Alberta | 21:15 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | SE of Enchant | Taber | Alberta | 21:23 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; an irrigation pivot was overturned. | ||||||||
| EF0 | S of Brooks | Newell | Alberta | 22:12 | ||||
| A brief waterspout was videoed over Lake Newell; the NTP classified it as an EF0 tornado. No damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | SE of Brooks | Newell | Alberta | 22:35 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | N of Vermilion | Vermilion River | Alberta | 22:40 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | S of Cabin Lake | Special Area No. 3 | Alberta | 00:07 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF1 | NNE of Carpenter (ND) to William Lake Provincial Park (MB) | Rolette (ND), Morton (MB) | North Dakota (USA), Manitoba | 02:35 | ≥6.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ≥210abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Aerial surveys revealed a tornado touched down just south of the Canada–United States border and moved northeast into Canada. Damage was confined to trees.[9] Only the Canadian portion of the track was surveyed.[10] | ||||||||
| EF1 | NW of Killarney to SE of Ninette | Killarney-Turtle Mountain, Prairie Lakes | Manitoba | 02:55 | 17.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1200abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A large tornado was confirmed through aerial surveys; details pending. | ||||||||
| EF1 | NE of MacGregor | North Norfolk | Manitoba | 04:30 | 6.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 800abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| This tornado occurred within a broader area of straight-line winds. Grain bins were tossed and trees were downed and/or damaged.[11] | ||||||||
| EF0 | RiverWest | Windsor | Ontario | 22:45 | 2.02abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 180abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A brief, dusty tornado caused minor tree damage. | ||||||||
| EF0 | Forest Glade to Tecumseh | Windsor | Ontario | 23:00 | 4.69abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 120abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A tornado moved through eastern areas of Windsor, causing minor roof damage to multiple homes and snapping tree branches. | ||||||||
| EF0 | S of Clearview | Clearview | Ontario | 19:20 | 2.82abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 120abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A short-lived tornado caused minor damage to homes, fences, trees, and crops. | ||||||||
| EF0 | SSW of Tweed | Tweed | Ontario | 20:35 | 6.13abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 450abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A weak tornado moved along the western side of Stoco Lake. | ||||||||
| EF0 | NE of Tweed | Tweed | Ontario | 20:45 | 3.28abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 240abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A weak tornado touched down near where the first Tweed tornado dissipated along the northern end of Stoco Lake. | ||||||||
| EF0 | ENE of Neepawa | WestLake – Gladstone | Manitoba | 23:05 | ||||
| A brief tornado was videoed; no damage occurred. | ||||||||
| EF0 | SW of Venlaw | Grandview | Manitoba | 17:53 | 1.29abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 10abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A brief, narrow tornado caused minor crop damage. | ||||||||
| EF0 | SSE of Brookdale | North Cypress – Langford | Manitoba | 19:20 | 0.8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 10abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A brief, narrow tornado caused minor crop damage. | ||||||||
| EF4 | SW of Didsbury to ENE of Carstairs | Mountain View | Alberta | 19:45–20:15 | 15.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 620abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| This violent tornado initially touched down over rural areas southwest of Didsbury, oscillating in intensity as it moved east. The tornado produced EF4 damage along Highway 2A between Didsbury and Carstairs. There, a well-built home was completely destroyed;[12] the sole occupant was injured. Near this home, a 10000abbr=onNaNabbr=on combine harvester was thrown 50abbr=onNaNabbr=on before being rolled a further 50to. Trees were stubbed and debarked on the property. Power lines were downed and one gas leak occurred at a destroyed home. Significant ground scouring was observed in the area.[13] The tornado turned east-southeast from this location, eventually crossing Highway 2 before dissipating. Altogether, three homes were destroyed, four were rendered uninhabitable, and five were damaged.[14] Twenty-five cows, twenty chickens, and one horse were also killed.[15] | ||||||||
| EF0 | Southern Hamilton | Hamilton (City of) | Ontario | 20:45 | 0.64abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A brief tornado touched down in the Templemead neighbourhood of southern Hamilton. One business had minor roof damage. This was the first tornado to strike the city in 18 years.[16] | ||||||||
| EF1 | Hine Lake | Thunder Bay, Unorganized | Ontario | 23:45 | 12abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 400abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A tornado was analyzed in a forested area through satellite imagery. The full path is uncertain pending cloud-free satellite images. | ||||||||
| EF1 | Barrhaven (1st tornado) | Ottawa (City of) | Ontario | 12:49 | 1.13abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 150abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Dozens of homes sustained minor to moderate roof damage, including a couple that had portions peeled away. Some trees were snapped or uprooted. | ||||||||
| EF1 | Barrhaven (2nd tornado) | Ottawa (City of) | Ontario | 16:45 | 4.92abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 200abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Dozens of homes sustained minor to moderate roof damage, including a couple that had portions peeled away. Some trees were snapped or uprooted. | ||||||||
| EF0 | Embrun | Russell | Ontario | 17:17 | 1.14abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 80abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A brief, narrow tornado caused minor roof damage to homes and damaged trees.[17] | ||||||||
| EF0 | Fournier to Fenaghvale | The Nation | Ontario | 17:55 | 9.62abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 510abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Damage was limited to trees and crops. | ||||||||
| EF0 | Mirabel | Mirabel | Quebec | 19:23 | ||||
| An observer at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport reported a tornado. | ||||||||
| EF0 | Saint-Thomas | Saint-Thomas | Quebec | 20:25 | 6.61abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 200abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Two barns and a home sustained minor roof damage and trees were snapped. | ||||||||
| EF0 | W of Okotoks | Foothills County | Alberta | 20:39 | ||||
| A landspout tornado was observed. | ||||||||
| EF0 | S of Whitla | Forty Mile No. 8 | Alberta | 01:30 | ||||
| A non-damaging tornado was documented.[18] | ||||||||
| EF1 | Brompton | Sherbrooke | Quebec | 20:30 | 3.93abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 370abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Barns, trees, and crops were damaged. At least two barns partially collapsed, one of which was properly anchor bolted to its foundation.[19] | ||||||||
| EF0 | Near Bathurst | None (in water) | New Brunswick | 20:09 | 10.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 175abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A tornado was observed over Chaleur Bay. | ||||||||
| EF0 | E of Petrolia | Enniskillen | Ontario | 20:25 | 2.91abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 300abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Trees, crops, and one power pole were damaged. | ||||||||
| EF1 | South Buxton to SE of Sandison | Chatham-Kent | Ontario | 20:50 | 10.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 175abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Multiple homes sustained varying degrees of roof damage. One had up to 20 percent of its roof torn off. Crops and trees were also damaged.[20] | ||||||||
| EF0 | Lake Nipissing | West Nipissing | Ontario | 22:50 | 10.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 175abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A tornado was observed over Lake Nipissing.[21] | ||||||||
| EF1 | Blenheim | Chatham-Kent | Ontario | 20:35 | 9.77abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 300abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| Trees were snapped or uprooted, at least one home had moderate roof damage, and a garage was destroyed.[22] | ||||||||
| EF1 | W of Beaver Creek | Unorganized Division No. 19 | Manitoba | 23:23 | 2abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 170abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A tornado caused tree and crop damage. Full survey details pending analysis of satellite imagery as of July 29.[23] | ||||||||
| EF0 | Findlay Creek (1st Tornado) | Ottawa | Ontario | 17:36 | 6.1abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 130abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A few homes and sheds sustained minor damage, a trailer was flipped, and trees were damaged. | ||||||||
| EF0 | Findlay Creek (2nd Tornado, then later updated) | Ottawa | Ontario | 17:36 | 6.1abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 130abbr=onNaNabbr=on | ||
| A few homes and sheds sustained minor damage, a trailer was flipped, and trees were damaged. | ||||||||