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Environment Canada radar has confirmed a tornado swept across Windsor and McGregor Thursday evening.
As of 6:30 p.m. there were no active storm alerts for Windsor-Essex.
Windsor police confirmed one person received injuries that were not considered life threatening as a result of the storm.
Environment Canada told CBC News Thursday evening their radar had confirmed the tornado.
Meteorologist Rob Kuhn said the tornado came over land and water.
“This is actually a tornado based over land but it can also come over the water and it won’t care if its over water or land, it just keeps going,” Kuhn said.
The thunderstorm knocked out power in parts of the city, including in Sandwich where downed trees on power lines sparked small flames and firefighters were on scene.
One resident from Riverside told CBC the storm was quick, lasting about 15 minutes, but the damage in her Riverside neighbourhood is extensive
“We were sitting in the house and noticed that the sky was getting really dark and [then I] went out and it was turning green and I said, this looks like a tornado,” Susan Cassady recalled, adding that the wind quickly picked up and it started to sideways rain.
“The street is just littered with trees, the whole neighbourhood seems like a war zone.”
Downed power lines sparked small flames in Sandwich Town after a severe thunderstorm swept through the region Thursday afternoon. Environment Canada radar confirms a tornado in the Windsor-Essex region. (CBC)Thousands without power in Windsor, LaSalle
The Essex Power Lines outage map showed more than 6,400 people without power in LaSalle and Amherstburg.
Thousands had been without power in Windsor, mostly in Sandwich and south Windsor, though Enwin’s outage map showed most customers had since regained power. Hydro One showed small pockets without power in Essex County.