The latest:
- Tornado warnings downgraded to watches for upper Gatineau, Prescott and Russell United Counties.
- A tornado watch is in place for other parts of eastern Ontario this afternoon.
- Communities covered include Ottawa, Gatineau, Kingston and Cornwall.
- A severe thunderstorm watch covers the rest of western Quebec.
- There are no alerts for western parts of the region such as Pembroke and Belleville.
A tornado watch issued by Environment Canada remains in effect for parts of eastern Ontario and Gatineau on Monday afternoon.
Earlier tornado warnings for areas in upper Gatineau, specifically around Papineauville and Chénéville in western Quebec and Prescott and Russell United Counties in Ontario, have been downgraded to watches.
Tornado watches mean conditions are favourable for possible tornadoes, while tornado warnings mean a tornado has been reported or there’s good evidence one is imminent.
Advice in case of a tornado includes staying away from exterior walls and windows, ideally in a basement or on the ground floor, and getting out of vehicles.
Other risks from the storms include wind gusts up to 90 kilometres an hour, hail and heavy rain, according to the forecast. There’s no more specific timeline for the line or cluster of storms to hit than the afternoon.
There is also a severe thunderstorm watch for the rest of western Quebec. It too says strong winds, heavy rain and hail are possible this afternoon and evening and mentions storms like this can sometimes produce a tornado.
There are currently no alerts for the westernmost parts of eastern Ontario such as Bancroft, Belleville and Pembroke. Some of those areas had tornado warnings last week.