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For as long as there have been people and tornadoes, there have been tornado myths.
Quebec doesn’t experience very many tornadoes — somewhere between six and 14 per year, including ones that don’t affect urban areas, according to a local meteorologist — but three touched down during a thunderstorm Wednesday, damaging vehicles and properties in Brossard, Cap-Santé and St-Hippolyte.
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In 2021, one man died when a tornado struck Mascouche. At the time, police said he might have taken shelter in his shed. Neighbours said it all happened so fast, he didn’t seem to have time to make it into his house. A neighbouring house had its roof ripped clear off, minutes before the children who lived there were scheduled to get off their school bus.
The best thing you can do in the event of a tornado warning is take shelter inside a sturdy home or building, preferably in the basement, Michèle Fleury of Environment and Climate Change Canada said Thursday. If there is no basement, find a place away from the windows — possibly the bathroom.
“That would be the strongest room in the house, as the walls are reinforced by the plumbing and the ceramic,” Fleury said.
It’s a myth that you should take shelter under a car because the tornado — if strong enough — could lift it into the air.
“However, in Quebec, we rarely get tornadoes this strong,” Fleury said. “The advice if you’re in your car, officially, is you should stop driving … or you should drive to the nearest building if there is one very near that you can get to fast enough.”
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That also goes for RVs and campers, Fleury said.
“Obviously, an RV is not safe because it can be destroyed easily or moved around by a tornado,” she said.
If there are no buildings to seek refuge in or you’re in a field, you should look for a ditch.
“If you’re in a ditch, you’re more protected because it’s the lowest point and … the tornado can go over you and not really touch you,” Fleury said. “You should cover your head with your hands to protect your head from any debris.”
Tornadoes can happen at any time if the conditions are favourable. That’s most often in the warm months between May and September, Fleury said.
“We’ve even had tornadoes as late as early October,” she added.
It’s not true that tornadoes don’t happen in cities, they’re just smaller than rural areas.
“Over the distribution of the whole territory, the surface of the cities is less than the agricultural fields or forest or uninhabited area,” Fleury explained. “The population is concentrated in urban areas, and it’s a smaller surface.”
It’s true that if a tornado doesn’t appear to be moving, it’s either moving toward or away from you.
“It’s not possible that it’s not moving,” Fleury said, “so if you have the impression that it’s not moving left to right, maybe it’s coming towards you or, or away.”
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