A microrafale has probably shot in chicoutimi

Environment Canada and the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) are investigating the weather phenomenon on Wednesday shortly after 3 p.m. in the chicoutimi district. According to the first observations, it would not be a tornado, but a microrafal.

Winds exceeding 100 km/h were recorded Wednesday in the quadrilateral located between the boulevards Saint-Paul and Talbot and between rue des Saguenée and the Bird district.

According to a preliminary analysis of Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP), the meteorological phenomenon in question is probably a microrafal, that is to say a powerful and descending air in a reduced diameter.

The damage of a microrafal is circumscribed in a 4 km area, adds a spokesperson for NTPa program from Western University, Ontario.

Indeed, the phenomenon remained located and only affected a small area of the district.

An analysis of satellite images will be necessary for a final confirmationindicates the spokesperson. The process could take a few days, even a few weeks, it adds.

Currently, it is estimated that the winds have reached 105 to 137 km/h during the microrafal, said the meteorologist at Environment Canada Julien Pellerin.

Lifespan [d’une microrafale] is weak, it is short, but the phenomenon is very intense.

Microrafales can be very brutal and their winds can be as strong as those of a tornado, specifies the meteorologist.

Wednesday, when the storm formed, We had a lot of humidity on the surface. It made sure that there was a very important precipitation burdenexplains Julien Pellerin.

The falling rain takes on cold air at altitude and flaps it to the ground. The contact between the cold air and the hot air then causes an acceleration of the air current, he explains.

When the winds reach 100 km/h, they can uproot mature trees, adds the meteorologist.

Uprooted trees

Trees have notably fallen into the trails of the Rivière-du-Moulin park.

As we saw the damage yesterday, we were able to plan. Since early this morning, our teams have been on the ground to release the trailsspecifies the director general, Myriam Benoit.

We cut the trees, we mug the branches so that people can use the trails. In the coming weeks, we will do the cleaningshe continues.

Damage has also been noted at the Le Ricochet golf club, located on Boulevard du Saguenay Est, in Chicoutimi.

An emergency team worked until midnight to clear the trees that fell on the course, explains the club’s co -owner, Stéphane Maltais.

Forty trees have been damaged, he believes. They were all healthy, he said. It was quite violenthe says.

Very few golfers were on the route on Wednesday, and no one was injured, specifies Mr. Maltais. When [les golfeurs] came back from the field, they came to see us […]. They did not come back from what had happened.

It is very rare that we see it heretestifies Stéphane Maltais.

The club still opened its doors to golfers on Thursday.

Soultry and pruners at work

At the start of the day, Thursday, the owner of trees and company, Charles Marchand, had received around twenty calls for trees that have fallen from the microrafal. His team and worked until midnight on Wednesday.

Such cleaning after a storm requires caution, he recalls. When trees come across electric houses or wires, workers cannot approach Hydro-Québec installations.

He recommends that people avoid trying to cut damaged trees themselves and rather call on professionals. It doesn’t just take anyone to do anything. That’s the danger.

Last year, almost day today, a type 1 tornado occurred in Chicoutimi. Winds of up to 175 km/h had then blown on the borough, tearing roofs and breaking trees.

With information from Roby St-Gelais and Pascal Girard