Environment Canada says tornado touched down north of Montreal, no injuries or damage
Environment Canada confirmed that one tornado has touched down north of Montreal and a second is believed to have hit the city’s southwest as severe thunderstorms swept across eastern Ontario and Quebec on Thursday.
The confirmed tornado was in a field near the airfield in Mirabel, Que., where there were no reports of injuries or damage. EnvironmentCanada said spokesman Katarina Radovanovic.
The other tornado would have hit an area with no built infrastructure in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que. It also caused no damage, she said.
Monica Vaswani, a meteorologist who warns of preparedness Environment Canadasaid the agency had received reports of other rotating cloud formations that may have spawned tornadoes in Ontario and Quebec, but could not confirm additional landings.
Environment Canada Tornado warnings lifted that covered much of southwestern Quebec earlier in the day, including Montreal, but severe thunderstorm warnings remained in place in many areas Thursday afternoon. The agency also warned of a possible “marine tornado” along the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Trois-Rivières.
In Sorel-Tracy, east of Montreal, there were reports of strong winds causing heavy damage.
The Quebec warnings came after a tornado touched down in Ottawa’s Barrhaven neighborhood, damaging about 125 homes but with no reports of injuries.
The storm system was accompanied by high winds and torrential rain that led to flooding of some streets and highways in Montreal. The Décarie Expressway was closed in both directions during the evening rush hour due to water buildup. It opened again about an hour later.
At Montreal’s Trudeau Airport, many flights were delayed or canceled and wind gusts of up to 98 km/h were recorded.
Mayor Valérie Plante wrote on Twitter late Thursday that “despite the strength of the storm, no major damage has been done to municipal infrastructure at this time.”
