Top 12 Most Powerful Tornadoes in the World: A Force of Nature's Fury

12. The Elie Tornado of 2007: Canada's First Documented F5

What would become Canada's first and only formally recorded F5 tornado struck the little community of Elie, Manitoba, on June 22, 2007. Estpected wind speeds of high to 510 km/h (317 mph), this strong twister touched down just south of Elie and travelled northward, wreaking amazing destruction along its route. The tornado, with its great strength, had a rather small track—just over 5km (3.1 miles—and remarkably, no deaths or major injuries were recorded. Only bare concrete foundations and hurled vehicles—including a 1-ton truck thrown roughly 200 meters (656 feet—were left after the tornado totally wrecked many homes. The Elie tornado is especially notable since it was the first F5 (later changed to EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale) tornado recorded outside of the United States. This event disproved the idea that F5/EF5 tornadoes were a particularly American occurrence and underlined the possibility of severe tornado outbreaks elsewhere. For Canadian meteorologists, the Elie tornado has grown to be a significant case study and has affected reaction plans and severe storm readiness all throughout the nation.