**** Info via Environment Canada
Tornadoes hit major Canadian cities
On Thursday, July 13, a low-pressure system moved across southern Ontario and into southern Quebec, bringing heavy rain, severe thunderstorms and at least two tornadoes.
In Ontario, a tornado touched down in Barrhaven, a suburb of Ottawa, just before 1 p.m. This tornado damaged approximately 125 houses and buildings in its path. Damage reported included roof damage, broken windows, power and utility outages, and damage to trees. About 1,800 people were without power. There is also a report of one person with minor injuries.
Wind damage from the tornado snapped trees and branches in Barrhaven, Ottawa, Ontario. Credit: Paul Yang.
In Quebec, a tornado was also observed at 3:19 p.m. in Mirabel by an airport weather observer, heading possibly toward Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines thereafter. A funnel cloud was reported in Vaudreuil and another near Sorel-Tracy (confirmation for this is still ongoing). The severe storm system knocked out power to thousands of homes in the Outaouais, Laurentides, Lanaudière and Montreal regions. The lightning activity associated with the storm was especially intense, and lightning strikes triggered several fires.
The Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport, Montréal–Mirabel International Airport and Montreal Saint-Hubert Longueuil Airport all experienced flight delays after a ground stop had been issued.
This system also brought heavy rain and wind gusts, with some areas receiving significant amounts over a short period. In Ontario, rainfall totals varied from 40 to over 80 mm. In Montreal, rain amounts reached 50 to 100 mm, which caused sewers to overflow, roads to be flooded, the closure of parts of Highway 20 and other local streets, and flooding in a metro station.
In Quebec, hail of one to two centimetres was reported, accompanied by gusts reaching 111 km/h at the Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport and 90 km/h in Vaudreuil. As a result, many trees and hydro poles fell, damaging several buildings all over southern Quebec.
Some of the information is still preliminary, and more information should be available in the final report.
Visit our weather summaries page for additional information as it becomes available.
