Yes, that was a tornado that ripped through UBC, Environment Canada confirms

Environment Canada has confirmed that a tornado moved through the University of British Columbia (UBC) during Saturday's storm the first in the City of Vancouverin over fivedecades.

The weather agency, along with the Northern Tornadoes Project, conducted an onsite storm damage survey Sunday and preliminary results concludedthat atornado hit the University Golf Club around 5:10 p.m. PT on Nov. 6.

On Saturday evening, arare and brief tornado watch was issued for Metro Vancouver and Howe Sound, which lasted around 24 minutes.

A waterspout, which happens when a tornado forms over water, was spotted off the coast near Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

Environment Canada has now confirmed the waterspout was the same cell that moved through UBC, bringing strong winds that damaged trees, blocked roadsand disrupted traffic.

How did it happen?

Bobby Sekhon, a meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, said it took the perfect conditions for Saturdays'tornado to form.

"We had a cold trough of low pressure off the west coastof B.C.," he said.

"We also had some relatively warm ocean water, then addinga little bit of spin in the atmosphere, and the conditions were just right to form that tornado just west of YVR, which eventually made its way into UBC."

Once the tornado hit the university campus, it broughthail, rain and strong winds of 90 to 110 kilometres an hour, Environment Canada said.

How rare is it?

It's a weather event that Sekhonsays is "quite a rare occurrence."

Sekhon said the last reported tornado that touched down in the City of Vancouver was 54years ago in 1967, though there was onerecorded in Pitt Meadows in 1991.

"In the Vancouver area, there's really only been seven reported tornadoes in the past 70 years ... and especially to have it in November is extremely rare," he said.

The weather in November is cooler, said Sekhon, which doesn't provide the right conditionsfor cellsthat might produce tornadoes. He said tornadoes tend to happen more in the spring or summer seasons.

How strong was it?

The storm damage survey found the tornado to be classified as EF0, the lowest in theEnhanced Fujita scale, which measures a tornado'sintensity based on estimated wind speeds and related damage.

The highest classification is EF5, which represents the most catastrophic tornadoes.

"In the tornado damage survey, basically, we look for things like tree damage. What part of the tree was damaged? What kind of trees were damaged? Which way did they fall? We look for any other signs of damage [of]infrastructure, any injuries, fatalities, that kind of thing," Sekhon said.

Crews also collect eyewitness accounts and social media reports, along with information from meteorological radars and satellites to confirm the strength of tornadoes.

Sekhon saidresidents that experience tornado watches or warnings are advised to find cover.

"Remember, it's best to get inside in a basement if you can. Or on to a main floor away from exterior walls and windows ... to try and stay safe while the tornado passes," he said.