PHOTOS: Powerful, tornado-warned thunderstorms charge through Ontario
It was a wild afternoon and evening on Tuesday in parts of Ontario as intense, tornado-warned thunderstorms swept through the region, generating intense winds, torrential rainfall and hail--resulting in downed trees in London and other locales
Southern Ontario's fling with summer heat came to an abrupt and destructive end Tuesday after dangerous, damaging thunderstorms pushed through ahead of a cold front.
The storms, which fired up in the afternoon hours, generated 90+ km/h winds, large hail, torrential rainfall and lots of lightning. The wicked weather resulted in tornado warnings in southwestern Ontario, and in parts of cottage country, lasting for several hours.
Tree damage in London, Ont., after severe thunderstorms on May 19. (Paul Campbell/The Weather Network)
While no tornadoes have been confirmed, the storms did topple many large trees in communities such as London, Ont. Power was also knocked out to tens of thousands across southern Ontario as the storms roared their way through in a hurry.
There is likely going to be damage investigations by the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) and/or Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in the coming days to verify what occurred.
Tree damage in London, Ont., after severe thunderstorms on May 19. (Adam Colvin/Submitted to The Weather Network)
The tornado warnings have since been dropped and the severe weather ended Tuesday night as the storms weakened, and the cold front then sliced through. Temperatures are expected to rapidly drop in behind it, knocking daytime highs on Wednesday down to the low double digits or even the single digits for some areas.
These visuals on capture the dramatic scenes as the wicked storms moved through.
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Tree damage in London, Ont., after severe thunderstorms on May 19. (Paul Campbell/The Weather Network)
London, Ont., tree damage after a severe thunderstorm on May 19. (Holly Ross/Submitted to The Weather Network)
Thumbnail courtesy of Adam Colvin/Submitted to The Weather Network.
With files from Nathan Howes, a digital reporter at The Weather Network.