Tornado struck southeast of London, Ont., earlier this week, researchers confirm

Researchers have confirmed that a tornado struck a community southeast of London, Ont., after severe thunderstorms earlier this week.

The Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University says a preliminary investigation using videos and radar data has provided the “necessary evidence” that a tornado touched down in Derwent on Tuesday.

Project researchers said Wednesday in a social media post that a team will visit the area to determine the intensity and track of the tornado.

Director Dave Sills previously said that while many people were affected by the storm, damage has mostly been minimal.

The Northern Tornadoes Project says the damage caused by another storm east of London was caused by an EF1 downburst with a wind gust of up to 145 km/h.

EF1 is a moderate storm in which a strong column of air descends rapidly from a thunderstorm and hits the ground, generating destructive straight-line winds.

The first tornado of 2026 in Canada, which was assigned the lowest rating on intensity scale, occurred north of London earlier this month, according the Northern Tornadoes Project.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2026.

The Canadian Press