(Montreal) At least one confirmed tornado and possibly two more touched down in Quebec on Thursday as the weather unleashed the province.
Environment Canada provided an update on Friday morning on the weather events that shook southwestern Quebec and the St. Lawrence Valley.
According to the federal agency, “a tornado was observed and confirmed in Mirabel, possibly heading towards Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines thereafter. A funnel cloud was reported in Vaudreuil as well as another in Sorel-Tracy”. Confirmations are in progress in these last two cases.
Environment Canada promises a full assessment as soon as more information becomes available and is working with the Northern Tornadoes Project to investigate the damage.
Torrential rain
All affected regions received rainfall amounts varying between 50 and 90 millimeters, heavy rainfall caused sewer overflows and numerous floods, including a metro station and shopping malls in Montreal.
Environment Canada also reports that “the electrical activity was particularly intense and several fires were started by lightning. Hail of one to two centimeters was reported accompanied by violent gusts, including one reaching 111 km/h at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, causing the fall of numerous trees and electric poles as well as damage to several buildings all over southern Quebec. »
In Ottawa, a tornado caused extensive damage. Some 125 houses were damaged.