First tornado of the season touched down in Lakeside, Ont.

Drone photo of tornado damage near Lakeside, Ont. (Source: Northern Tornadoes Project)

Ontario’s first recorded tornado of the season touched down near St. Marys on May 16.

Researchers with the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University determined an EF0 twister developed around 3 a.m.

“Radar at the time shows a compact area of low-level rotation,” NTP said on their website.

Trees and a hydro pole were damaged in Lakeside, a community southeast of St. Marys and northwest of Woodstock.

Investigators did ground and drone surveys along the tornado’s 3.6 kilometre path.

The team said wind speeds likely reached an estimated 115 km/h.