Tornado Status Near Stratford "Almost Certain"

It is almost certain that a tornado touched down Tuesday night near the city of Stratford in southern Ontario, Environment Canada says.

The tornado likely hit near the community of Monkton in Perth County north of Stratford, meteorologist Geoff Coulson said Wednesday, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Environment Canada is also investigating reports of tornados in up to five other locations, Coulson said.

On its website, Environment Canada reported early Wednesday that the storm ripped a roof off a house, snapped branches off trees and knocked down power lines near Monkton. It said hail damaged a home and an outdoor pool west of the community.

The storm, which swept across southwestern and south central Ontario, brought more than 50 millimetres of rain, winds of up to 113 kilometres an hour, large hail and reports of funnel clouds.

"Summer severe weather roared through southern Ontario Tuesday afternoon and through the night with an intense line of thunderstorms, which brought frequent lightning, very heavy rain at times, strong wind, and pea- to marble-size hail," the Meteorological Service of Canada said in a statement.
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"Regions along the southern shoreline of Lake Huron east toward Hamilton saw the heaviest thunderstorm activity. There were numerous reports of near zero visibility due to torrential rain and power outages," it added.

The storm left thousands of people in the dark in southwestern and eastern Ontario.

Hydro crews were working on Wednesday to restore power in affected areas, which included homes between Brighton to Tyendinaga in eastern Ontario and in Huron County on the eastern shore of Lake Huron.

Coulson said the the extreme weather also damaged trees near McMaster University in Hamilton and in the Kitchener area.

No injuries were reported.