Funnel cloud spotted above Hamilton Mountain as heat wave persists
David Hills says he was driving when he saw something in the sky above the Hamilton Mountain — and it wasn't a bird or a plane.
"All of a sudden my wife said, 'There's a funnel cloud,'" Hills told CBC Hamilton.
He said they were driving on Mohawk Road, toward Upper James Street, when they saw the small white funnel cloud in the distance, watching it grow in size over the next minute.
The couple, who live in the area, snapped a picture of the cloud around 4:45 p.m. ET. They said they didn't see the cloud touch down.
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Funnel clouds not normally dangerous: Environment Canada
Environment Canada confirmed a funnel cloud was reported in east Hamilton on Tuesday.
"These types of funnel clouds are generated by weak rotation under rapidly growing clouds or weak thunderstorms," read a weather advisory.
"This weak rotation is normally not a danger near the ground. However, there is a chance that this rotation could intensify and become a weak landspout tornado."
The national weather agency noted landspout tornadoes don't normally cause much damage but can be strong enough to topple trees, damage roofs or toss debris short distances.
St. Catharines, Grimsby and the northern Niagara Region also had an advisory for potential funnel clouds as of early Tuesday evening.
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Heat wave in Hamilton, nearby areas persists Hamilton and Niagara, as well as Burlington, Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk and other areas, are all under a heat warning.
The heat wave is set to stay until Friday with temperatures ranging between 17 and 33 C. In Hamilton, the humidex could make temperatures feel 37 to 42 C.
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The City of Hamilton issues a heat warning when daytime temperatures reach 31 C, nighttime lows are 20 C or above and the humidex is above 40 C for two consecutive days.
If temperatures remain at the those levels for more than three days, the city issues an extended heat warning.
All public pool free swim sessions are free during both kinds of warnings.
The city's heat warning status can be found here, along with a list of cooling stations and public pools.
Niagara Falls has a list of cooling stations, including libraries, public pools and splash pads, available on its website.
Brantford lists its cooling stations, public pools and splash pads here.
Thumbnail image courtesy of David Hills via CBC News.
This article, written by Bobby Hristova, was originally published for CBC News.