Environment Canada issued thunderstorm watches and warnings for the Parry Sound and Muskoka regions on Tuesday.
The thunderstorm warning ended late Tuesday morning, while the thunderstorm watch ended Tuesday afternoon.
On Tuesday, photos circulated on social media of damage on Whitestone Lake in Parry Sound. Images showed some downed trees and property that had fallen over
On Tuesday afternoon, Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder told Global News the agency can’t confirm whether a tornado hit the Parry Sound area at this time.
“Based on the setup today, it is possible that it was a tornado, but what is more likely is … wind damage,” he said.
“Radar was indicating a bit of rotation embedded within the storms, but we haven’t seen any indications other than the damage, so it would take some time to confirm.”
Initially, Environment Canada’s thunderstorm watch was in effect from Tuesday morning to evening. Possible hazards included wind gusts of up 110 km/h, up to ping-pong ball size hail and a potential tornado.
A special air quality statement was also previously in effect for Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Port Carling and Port Severn due to smoke from active forest fires in northwestern Ontario.
Just last week, a tornado touched down in south Barrie, causing significant damage and injuring almost a dozen people. After the twister, the Northern Tornadoes Project said four other tornadoes hit other southern Ontario communities on the same day.