Tornado Central

North America Just Had Its First EF4 Tornado of 2018, and It Wasn't in the U.S.

At a Glance

An EF4 tornado was confirmed in Canada from last Friday, North America's strongest twister of 2018.
The tornado was responsible for one death, Canada's first tornado-related fatality since 2011.
Canada averages about 100 tornadoes per year, a distant second to the United States.

North America's first EF4 tornado of 2018 has been confirmed, but it wasn't in the United States. Environment Canada said an EF4 tornado touched down last Friday in Manitoba, Canada.

The U.S. averages the most tornadoes in a given year, with 1,253 twisters occurring in the country annually, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Canada is a distant second, averaging about 100 tornadoes per year, NCEI also noted. Parts of southern Canada – particularly from the prairie provinces to southern Ontario and southern Québec – are most prone to tornadoes.

The strongest tornado to ever touch down in Canada was an F5 twister in Elie, Manitoba, on June 22, 2007.

Average annual number of tornadoes for each state in the U.S., based on the 20-year period from 1991 to 2010.
(NOAA/NCEI)

Last Friday's EF4 tornado killed a 77-year-old man as it tore through the Alonsa, Silver Ridge and Margaret Bruce Beach areas of western Manitoba during the evening hours.

The twister was on the ground for approximately 20 minutes as it carved a destructive path up to a half-mile wide, CBC reported, citing Environment Canada.

Environment Canada deployed a team of meteorologists to assess the damage, in which they were able to determine the tornado's rating of EF4, which has winds of 166 to 200 mph on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

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According to the CBC report, the Environment Canada damage survey found a small farmhouse was destroyed where the 77-year-old man lived; a home was partially destroyed and injured an elderly couple; two cabins were destroyed and many tractors, trailers and vehicles were destroyed.

This was the first time a Canadian tornado was responsible for a fatality since 2011, the Weather Network reported.

Brian Donegan is a meteorologist at weather.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.