'An absolute mess': Severe thunderstorms rip through southern Ontario
A severe thunderstorm caused extensive damage throughout southern Ontario on Tuesday.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning for much of the area. The storm began approaching from the northwest and moving through the province into the afternoon and evening.
A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Mount Forest, Arthur and Wellington County from about 5:40 p.m. to 7 p.m. The warning came into effect again around 9:40 p.m.
The weather agency was tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of bringing hail, heavy downpours and strong winds gusting up to 110 kilometres per hour.
As of 12 a.m. Wednesday, Kitchener’s Stanley Park area had seen a total of 26 millimetres from two thunderstorms, according to a tweet from Environment Canada meteorologist Rob Kuhn. He also says the strongest wind gusts at that point were an estimated 65 km/h from the first storm.
The storm also knocked out power in some communities. But local hydro companies like Kitchener Wilmot Hydro and Waterloo North Hydro were showing no outages as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Ontario Provincial Police say heavy rain overnight has resulted in flooding in some areas, covering live road lanes and shoulders.
Damage from the storm was also noticeable in areas including Port Albert, Sauble Beach and Huron County.
Communities along the Lake Huron shoreline were also hit hard.
"We heard a thump, which I knew was a tree hitting the ground and we went into the cold room and stayed there until the wind subsided," said Lucknow resident Lynn McDonagh.
She described what she saw after as "a disaster, an absolute mess."
About eight trees fell and one went right through the roof.
In Minto, one homeowner said their motor home was standing upright on the concrete slab but after he watched it roll in the wind, he knew it was time to head to the basement. A nearby tree was also knocked over.
Environment Canada had issued a tornado warning for the area. Western University's Norther Tornadoes Project has two teams out surveying the damage.
"It's too early to say obviously but it looks like there might have been multiple tornadoes touchdowns mixed in with some bursts or micro bursts, but that's basically what the team is going to try and determine today whether it was a tornado," said Francis Lavigne-Theriult, a research assistant with the Northern Tornadoes Project.
Here's a look at the storm as shared on social media:
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.