Essex residents Craig and Gina Dunmore enjoy a good storm — but they didn’t expect their first child to be born during actual tornado conditions in the southwestern Ontario region.
Cecelia May Dunmore entered the world at 10:40 p.m. ET on Aug. 24 — the same time frame that at least two tornadoes touched down in Windsor and Tecumseh, according to Northern Tornadoes Project researchers.
The wild weather conditions caused a momentary power outage at Windsor Regional Hospital’s Met Campus, where Gina was in labour.
“When it was time to deliver [Cecelia], that’s when the tornado warnings went off,” Gina said. “I was a little nervous. But I was in good hands.”
Craig said he tried to devote his attention to his wife and the birth of their daughter. But there was no ignoring the phone alert issued for the Windsor-Essex region by Environment Canada’s tornado warning system.
“We were getting really close to the time to push, and the storm was just rolling in. We had the window [shades] open and we could see the lightning,” Craig said.
“Everyone’s phones started going berserk with the tornado warnings coming in, and they told Gina to start pushing.”
Thankfully, the paths of the two confirmed tornadoes were some distance from the Met Campus of Windsor Regional Hospital.
Damage analysis by the Northern Tornadoes Project indicates an EF-0 twister with 125 km/h winds started in Windsor’s west end and moved into LaSalle, while an EF-1 twister with 145 km/h winds moved from Tecumseh to Lakeshore.
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Delivery of Cecelia was relatively quick with no complications, except for one: Clocks were incorrectly reading 12:01 a.m. due to the blackout.
“Everyone in the delivery room was laughing,” Gina said. “No one expected that to happen — all those things at the same time.”
The circumstances of Cecelia’s birth were particularly ironic considering Craig’s favourite pastime: He’s been a storm chaser since he was a teenager.
A power-line technician by trade, Craig is a member of Windsor Essex Storm and Environment Enthusiasts (WE SEE) — a regional group of hobbyists who pursue weather phenomena such as extreme wind events.
“Just for the excitement of it. I like going out there and seeing what Mother Nature has to offer. Seeing the chaos,” Craig explained.
Craig reckons his adventures have taken him about a kilometre away from an active tornado path. He’s passionate about photographing turbulent skies, especially lightning.
“He wants to get those bolt shots,” Gina said.
Gina has accompanied Craig on some of his weather-related escapades. The couple say they’d like to bring Cecelia on a storm chase, once she’s old enough.
Until then, they intend to remind her of the story of her birth over and over again.
“She’s our little tornado baby,” Craig said proudly. “She’ll be hearing it every birthday. She’s going to get tired of the story.”
Gina has started outfitting Cecelia with tornado-themed clothing.
“She has lots of onesies with tornadoes on them already.”
But Gina believes making Cecelia familiar with tornadoes isn’t just about being cute. She hopes doing so will “really instil an appreciation for nature and a respect for nature, to learn to be part of the environment, and to care for it.”
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