A Neebing resident says the gusts of wind that knocked over two trees on his property had the power of a mini hurricane.
A windstorm struck parts of Thunder Bay Wednesday afternoon, which led to knocked down trees and power failures in some areas. The large trees that had fallen had even caused minor damage to some homes, like one on Coppin Road.
Scott Malko has lived in the neighbourhood for about 20 years. He and his family were left to clean up the mess caused by the windstorm that hit around 2:30 p.m. He said the two trees that fell over, one of which made minor contact with the home, were about 50 years old.
"It was like a mini hurricane," Malko said. "The trees bent at a 45 degree angle and then snapped. The trees just clipped the house. The trees also took out the power line, cable and telephone."
He added that Thunder Bay Hydro responded about a half-hour after the power went out. Malko said he guessed the minor damage to his home would likely cost about $300 to repair.
Graham Saunders, an area climatologist, said the 76-kilometres-an-hour winds might have picked up strength in Neebing as they came down the Northwestern Mountain. He added that these kinds of strong winds are fairly uncommon in this region in July.
"There were tornado warning in Duluth, which is relatively close to here," Saunders said. "I don’t think there is a lot of potential for a tornado in our particular area."
