Thunderstorms Expected in Ottawa-Gatineau, Cleanup Underway in Kingston

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

The weather agency stated on Tuesday evening that conditions are right for severe thunderstorms that might bring strong wind gusts, heavy rain, and hail.

Storms could begin anytime Tuesday night, according to the agency.

The area may experience wind gusts reaching up to 110 km/h, golf ball-sized hail, and over 50 millimeters of rain as indicated in the watch.

This alert covers a large portion of eastern Ontario. Additionally, another yellow thunderstorm watch is active for parts of western Quebec.

The watch is classified as yellow, which is the lowest level on Environment Canada’s three-level scale.

Local power outages may also happen, the agency warned.

Trees Down and Flooding Reported in Kingston Area

Severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings hit Kingston, Ont., and nearby areas early Tuesday afternoon.

Flooding was reported at the Gardiners Road underpass close to Development Drive in Kingston, as per a statement from the city.

The City of Kingston announced that transit services were briefly halted during the storm; additional flooding and downed trees were mainly noted in the north and east sections of the city.

Environment Canada mentioned its meteorologists were monitoring a severe thunderstorm that could potentially spawn a tornado in that region.

The weather agency issued a red tornado warning for Kingston and nearby areas at 12:46 p. m. ET on Tuesday but lifted it just before 1:30 p. m. ET.

In South Frontenac, there was an increase in emergency calls due to fallen trees blocking roadways.

A fallen tree shuts down access to Peters road in South Frontenac, Ont., on Monday afternoon. (Submitted by Natasha Snyder)

South Frontenac Fire Chief Del Blakney described how the sky turned dark right before the storm arrived.

“It seemed like it was nighttime,” said Blakney, South Frontenac’s emergency services director. “I went to the window to look and all I saw were the trees swirling in the wind and rain.”

Red is the highest level on Environment Canada’s three-color scale, indicating life-threatening weather that could cause significant disruption.
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