TORONTO – Thunderstorm warnings have ended across the GTA.
Two storms crossed southern and eastern Ontario Friday afternoon. The first round missed Toronto, but the second swept across the GTA bringing with it high winds, heavy rains and frequent lightning. Parts of York Region and Durham were under tornado warnings.
Toronto Hydro reported that some people may be without power throughout the night after trees downed power lines across the city.
Environment Canada received numerous reports of damage across Ontario.
In Gravenhurst, Coldwater, Gull Lake, Bobcaygeon, Waterloo Airport, Bradford, Stratford, Port Carling and Stoney Creek, there were numerous reports of trees down.
Waterloo Airport reported a wind gust of 119 km/h; Hamilton International Airport reported a gust of 106 km/h.
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Funnel clouds were spotted in Barrie as well as Bradford.
Gallery: Storms sweep across Ontario
The storms even stretched into Quebec. There were reports of a tornado at Mirabel Airport in Montreal.
There are still thunderstorm watches up across most of southern Ontario.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning For:
Sarnia – Petrolia – Western Lambton County
Watford – Pinery Park – Eastern Lambton County
Strathroy – Komoka – Western Middlesex County
St. Thomas – Aylmer – Eastern Elgin County
Rodney – Shedden – Western Elgin County
Chatham-Kent – Rondeau Park
Windsor – Leamington – Essex County
Severe Thunderstorm Warning Ended For:
St. Catharines – Grimsby – Northern Niagara Region
Dunnville – Caledonia – Haldimand
Simcoe – Delhi – Norfolk
Niagara Falls – Welland – Southern Niagara Region
Hydro One is reporting more than 130,000 customers in the province are without power as a result of the storm. The hardest hit areas include Bancroft, Bracebridge, Cobden, Orangeville, Oriliia and Penetang.
And provincial police in Orillia say they are receiving dozens of emergency calls as a result of the storm.
“We’ve heard of trees down on top of a vehicle, trees down across roadways blocking traffic,” OPP Staff Sgt. Sharron Brown said. “Right now the priority is to respond to the calls for service.”
A watch is issued when conditions are favourable for severe weather. A warning is when hazardous weather is imminent or occurring.
Strong thunderstorms and severe storms crossed into southern and eastern Ontario as a cold front collided with the warmer, moist air that has suffocated the region over the past week.
Already temperatures have fallen by 10 C across the region.
If you see severe weather in your area, seek shelter immediately, preferably in a basement or an area that has as many walls between you and the outside as possible.
Want your weather on the go? Download Global News’ Skytracker weather apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.
– With files from the Canadian Press
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