Environment Canada has warned residents in Eumarket, Bradford, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Bradford and West Gwillimbury. She warned residents: “This is a dangerous situation that may threaten their lives.”
For many who saw the destructive storm in southern Ontario on Wednesday evening, seeing a suspected tornado was "surreal". Mona Asheim was on her way home from work when a dark funnel cloud could be seen in the distance at around 9:35 p.m.; lightning streaks across the gloomy sky close to Alliston, Ontario.
Asim said, "I have never seen anything like this before." She noticed a tornado alert show on her phone as her husband drove through intense rain.
In Bradford, Gabriel Berardo posted a video as the storm gathered. Around 9 p.m., he remarked, "It actually looks like it's getting stronger," standing before dense storm clouds and a sky glittered with lightning. "There is a spin on it and it seems to be strengthening."
He filmed a possible tornado just thirty minutes later. A funnel flashed in the horizon as he stated, "It's kind of scary, I'm not going to lie."
Ethan Collins uploaded a video further south seeming to be time-lapse footage of the storm in Newmarket. This is not a time lapse, he clarified. "I grabbed this when the tornado warning was announced.
The sky in the thirty-second footage changed from dark to instantaneous flashes of light.
The strength of the lightning was almost otherworldly. Thursday morning, Collins remarked, "It was hard to see what was happening in the sky," remembering observing the storm.
"I knew it was time to hide if I spotted big trash flying in the air. Fortunately, that never came to pass.
Almost all of the severe weather reports his team received Wednesday were connected with hail — measuring up to 75 millimeters — with very little wind damage, and no tornadoes in sight, according to Northern Hurricane Project Executive Director Dr. David Sales.
Thursday morning in southern Ontario, active power outages persisted. Hydro One reported on its website: "Our crews are working at full capacity to respond as quickly and safely as possible to the outages caused by the devastating thunderstorms that continue to impact parts of the county."
"The power outages are mostly due to lines down from trees or tree limbs," the statement continued, listing the hardest-hit locations as Huntsville, Bracebridge, Orillia, Barrie and Penetanguishene.
Thursday morning, beautiful skies devoid of clouds grace southern Ontario.
"Sunshine and seasonally warm temperatures will be fleeting as we carry mild but blustery conditions for Friday. Saturday afternoon brings still another round of wet/stormy weather. Early in the week, colder winds will come, said CP24 meteorologist Bill Coulter. The next is.
"Enjoy or bear the early season's summer-like warmth while it's here."
