Environment Canada couldn't confirm if it was in fact a tornado, but did say forecasters received footage

Environment Canada can't say for sure if reports of a bizarre weather event was an F0 tornado on the Lower Mainland

MISSION (NEWS 1130) – It appears a tornado may have touched down on the Lower Mainland this past very stormy weekend.

“Apparently some damage on the ground, coupled with eye-witness reports from the middle of that stormy Sunday September 16th across the Lower Mainland are supporting the idea that there may have been a brief touchdown of an F0 or very weak tornado — that was near Hayward Lake which is just northeast of Mission,” explains NEWS 1130 Meteorologist Russ Lacate.

“Now F0 tornados are often associated with minor structural damage such as crumbling chimneys, broken tree branches, or uprooted trees.”

In a tweet, Environment Canada could not confirm whether it was in fact a tornado, but did say forecasters received footage and reports of the weather event.

And here’s a radar animation of the thunderstorm cells moving NE from Langley towards Stave Lake on Sunday afternoon. Reflectivities of 45dBz (orange) indicate downpours of 25mm/hr. #BCstorm pic.twitter.com/aTy5o6P5Dv — ECCC Weather British Columbia (@ECCCWeatherBC) September 18, 2018

“It’s important to note that at this time there has been no confirmation and the storm remains classified as a ‘possible tornado,'” Lacate adds.

The last reported tornadoes on the Lower Mainland were in Coquitlam in 1988 and near Pitt Meadows in 1991, according to Environment Canada.