'All the conditions are aligned:' Tornado watch in effect for several ...
A tornado watch is in effect for several areas surrounding Toronto.
Environment Canada issued the alert Thursday morning, warning of wind gusts with speeds of up to 110 km/h.
Newmarket, Aurora, northern Durham Region, Peterborough, Caledon and Barrie are among the areas affected by the tornado watch.
Right now, the most volatile conditions in the GTA are expected sometime between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The latest updates as of 3:30 p.m.
A tornado warning has been issued for several areas in Northern Ontario, including Timmins Tornado watches have been issued for 25 Ontario communities The most severe weather is expected to hit the GTA between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.“Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms which may produce tornadoes,” the national weather agency wrote in the alert.
Heavy rain and nickel to Toonie-sized hail is also possible is some areas starting this afternoon.
Environment Canada called the situation dangerous and “potentially life-threatening,” warning members of the public to take cover if a tornado does form in their area.
Gerald Cheng is a meteorologist with Environment Canada and spoke with CP24 on Thursday. He said while the alert doesn’t guarantee a tornado will touch down in any of the affected areas, he said “the ingredients are lined up.”
“Right now, what we are concerned about is the timing between 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. All the conditions are aligned, so during that time if a thunderstorm develops, then there could be potential for [a tornado],” Cheng explained.
For a full list of impacted communities in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada follow this link.Cheng said his team is specifically tracking the north side of York Region. Once the weather system reaches Markham and Richmond Hill, he said, the tornado risk should subside, although the situation is very fluid.
“We know that a lot of people are doing outdoor activities. Just be careful when you are doing outdoor work or when you are outside. If the weather deteriorates, you need to seek shelter right away. Don’t wait for the weather alert,” he said.
Just before 3 p.m., a tornado warning was issued for several areas in Northern Ontario, including Timmins. Environment Canada said its meteorologists were tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado five kilometres north of Pottsville and moving east at 65 km/h.
"This severe thunderstorm is embedded in a cluster of thunderstorms sweeping through the region that are producing nickel to ping pong ball sized hail and 90 km/h wind gusts," Environment Canada said.
"Take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches. If you hear a roaring sound or see a funnel cloud, swirling debris near the ground, flying debris, or any threatening weather approaching, take shelter immediately."
The impacted areas also include Kettle Lakes Provincial Park, Pottsville, Porcupine, Keyson, Dugwal, Barbers Bay, Moose Lake and Shillington.
A graphic from Environment and Climate Change Canada shows weather advisories including tornado watches on Thursday, June 13, 2024. Grey areas mean 'advisory,' that is issued for specific weather events that are less severe, but could still impact Canadians. Yellow signifies 'watch,' an alert about weather conditions that are favourable for a storm or severe weather, which could cause safety concerns. Red areas mean 'warning,' an urgent message that severe weather is either occurring or will occur.
The alert were issued ahead of a windy afternoon in Toronto, where the risk of thunderstorms is also present, although no weather alerts have been issued for the city at this time.
“Today will be very warm and muggy with increasing clouds and the risk of local p.m. showers and late day/evening storm,” CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter said.
Wind gusts in Toronto started at approximately 1 p.m. and are expected to reach speeds of 50km/h. The wind will be joined by a risk of thunderstorms starting at 4 p.m., which stretches well into Thursday night.
Lingering showers will continue to pass through the area overnight and produce a high of 24 C on Friday.
“A few isolated showers may pop up Friday. But, bright and pleasant weather is on the way for the start of the weekend,” Coulter said.
Radar images show the expected path of a storm set to hit the GTA on Thursday night. (CP24)
'WE COULD SEE SOME DELAYS' AT PEARSON: GTAASean Davidson, a spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which operates Pearson Airport, says their operations team is closely monitoring the band of thunderstorms.
"These storms are expected to have an impact on our operations. We could see some delays this evening," Davidson said.
"And a big part of that is because this could be a sustained period of lightning at the airport, and safety is our number one priority. So when there is lightning within a five-kilometre radius of the airport, we need to pull our employees off the airfield so that they're not in any danger."
He added that there could also be potential cancellations due to the weather, which is why passengers are advised to check their flight status before coming to the airport.
"Weather isn't something that we necessarily think of delaying operations here in the summer. It's normally winter, but lightning can actually have a very significant impact on the operations. But at the end of the day, safety is key for our employees," Davidson said.
Saturday will bring mainly sunny skies with a breezy wind and a high of 24 C. Sunday’s Father’s Day forecast is expected to be cloudy with a risk of showers in the evening and a high of 24 C.
Things will really heat up on Monday, when the temperature could reach 31 C, but will feel like 37 with the humidity. The heat will continue through Tuesday and Wednesday when the highs are expected to reach 32 and 33 C, respectively.
