PHOTOS: Tornadoes, large hail, and flooding strike Ontario, Quebec on Thursday
Communities in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec endured high winds and large hail on Thursday as another round of severe storms hit the region. Two tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down near Ottawa.
If it’s another summer afternoon in Central Canada, it’s another round of powerful thunderstorms hitting portions of Ontario and Quebec.
Severe thunderstorms swept through eastern Ontario and southern Quebec during the afternoon and evening hours on Thursday, leaving behind tornado damage and hailstones that grew as large as golf balls in some spots.
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There were at least two confirmed tornadoes - one in Metcalfe and one in Vars, Ont., both suburbs of Ottawa. EF ratings for these tornadoes are yet to be determined as experts survey the storm damage in the area.
Thursday’s reported damage is very close to the community of Barrhaven, which was hit by an EF-1 tornado in severe storms that hammered the region back on July 13. Another intense supercell thunderstorm struck the region on July 28, pelting the National Capital Region with very large hail.
PHOTOS: See the intense hailstorm that slammed the Ottawa area on July 28
The storms were a stark reversal from conditions we saw just a couple of days ago. The same dip in the jet stream that brought cooler temperatures to start the month also spawned a low-pressure system that drew warm, muggy air back into the region, setting the stage for nasty thunderstorms through the day Thursday.
Tornado watches were issued across the region as strong winds aloft created a favourable environment for those severe storms to rotate. The National Capital Region endured two separate tornado warnings on Thursday afternoon as strong storms passed through Ottawa.
High levels of instability allowed many of Thursday’s thunderstorms to produce some mighty hailstones, some of which reportedly grew to the size of golf balls, especially in the Kawartha Lakes area.
Residents in the Peterborough area also saw localized flooding as vehicles were stranded in flooded parking lots, streets were closed to traffic and some had to be helped exit their stranded vehicles.
Folks throughout eastern Ontario and southern Quebec snapped pictures and videos of the severe storms as they hit the region. Check out visuals from some of the most intense storms and their aftermath, below.
Header image courtesy of Shannon in Lindsay, Ontario.
