TEMAGAMI — It may have been the scariest hour of their lives for cottagers living on the south arm of Lake Temagami when a microburst storm descended on June 30.
On that day, Environment Canada had issued a weather warning for Northeastern Ontario, specifically for the Temagami region.
There was also damage observed on Red Cedar Lake in Marten River.
According to Environment Canada meteorologist Jean-Philippe Begin in a telephone interview, he said the weather system that hit the Temagami region at approximately 5:30 p.m. on June 30 was investigated by the Northern Tornado Project from Western University and classified as a microburst.
“This system brings winds of up to 180 to 220 kilometres per hour and the system is localized when a thunderstorm occurs. It was listed as an EF 2 (enhanced fujita scale) which is not a tornado,” he said.
The enhanced fujita scale is used by weather stations to rate tornado intensity.
Environment Canada defines a microburst as a sudden, powerful air current (down draft) bringing strong winds. They are violent, localized downdrafts that can strike without warning.
This severe weather system followed several days of high heat and humidity felt across the Temiskaming region and further afield which saw temperatures of 30 C and higher.
LAKE RESIDENT
Will Goodman, a summer resident on Lake Temagami, told The Speaker he received an emergency phone alert that day indicating a storm was rapidly approaching the area.
“My wife and I were in separate buildings on our island when the tornado or microburst hit and it was absolutely terrifying. Since none of the buildings have basements for potential shelter, we just held on for dear life. When the storm ended after about an hour we were able to assess the damage. Dozens of larger trees were downed, paths were completely blocked and our solar panels had been destroyed leaving us without power.”
He said roughly 30 islands and properties on the lake with cottages were severely impacted by the storm.
“Fortunately there was no serious injuries in a number of cabins when the tornado or microburst hit.”
He said two cabins on the lake were completely destroyed from the storm and many more had large red and white pine trees leaning on them making them nearly impossible to access.
“There were also several boathouses that were destroyed.”
TERROR
Goodman indicated many of the cottagers who experienced damage to their property have been in touch with their insurance providers.
However, he said he was disappointed with the response from the Town of Temagami which he described as “minimal.”
“It needs to be understood that people down here were terrified and are now packing up the pieces of immense property damage and loss.”
Goodman said moving forward there are issues that need to be addressed for the cottagers who experienced this severe storm.
“First and foremost, the amount of trees that are down is hard to comprehend and individual cottagers are on their own without any assistance from Temagami. Second, the contractors who have been hired to help are unable to meet the overwhelming demand for their services. The building approval process needs to be sped up for those cottagers who lost their cabins so that work can begin on their islands.”
CONTRACTOR HELP
Lynx Tree Care owner Tony Juurlink and his sons Noah and Griffin were quickly on the scene the evening that the storm hit. They had received a call from a long-time customer on the lake and “we were on the lake early the next morning on Canada Day.”
He said there were islands that had lost the majority of their mature trees and the scope of the damage shocked him.
“We saw crushed cabins, sheds and docks and many buildings were damaged, but it is the canopy loss that is so devastating.”
He said clean up after a severe storm like that varies based on the customer, the property and the extent of the damage.
“Some properties had only one tree uprooted or snapped, while others had hundreds. On some islands the priority has been trees on buildings and safety with clean up to be done at a later date. Other islands are already working at chipping and managing the wood. The clean up has been a combined effort from property owners, contractors, barge services and tree companies.”
SENSE OF LOSS
Juurlink said cottagers expressed to him that the first few days after the storm hit all they saw was the damaged trees, but then they started seeing trees that had survived and the saplings that have been waiting for more sunlight.
“It’s devastating to see the loss of so many beautiful healthy mature trees. Even knowing that it’s part of nature, it’s difficult to not feel a sense of loss when looking at the damage. However, in nature, when there is a loss there is always growth.”
By Sue Nielsen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jul 29, 2026 at 08:17
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