Severe Weather Outbreak in Southern Ontario; Numerous Warnings Issued Friday

On Friday, severe weather rolled across much of southern Ontario, southern Quebec and nearby states such as Michigan and New York. Severe weather was imminent in the region as a strong squall line of storms formed with some bowing segments in the morning and continued into a great thunderstorm environment as the afternoon wore on. CAPE values were quite high, shear sufficient and for any storms that remained discrete, a decent tornado potential was there before getting absorbed into the squall line. This prompted a plethora of warnings to be issued, including numerous tornado warnings throughout the day.

Wind damage was the biggest concern on Friday though, numerous reports of wind gusts exceeding 100km/h and even one report as high as 119km/h in Waterloo Ont., were reported. In turn, significant damage was reported across southern Ontario; mature trees knocked down, trees falling on homes and winds flattening crops. As of Friday night 550,000 people were still without power in Quebec and Ontario due to winds knocking down power lines and trees falling on lines. Storm survey teams are expected to head out to various spots across southern Ontario tomorrow to determine if damage was caused by straight-line winds or a tornado touching down. Two unconfirmed funnel clouds had been reported around the towns of Bradford and Barrie, Ontario. Unfortunately one person has died and ten more have been injured because of falling tree limbs; this is a reminder to people that even though a tornado might not be imminent, it’s better to take cover as a storm approaches.

The cold front behind this system will put end to Ontario’s heatwave. Many cities in southern Ontario, including Toronto, had reached “official” heatwave status by reaching 32°C three days in a row. This combined with high humidity values made for excessive heat, therefore it’s likely that most residents will welcome the cooler and drier air on Sunday.