An unusual November storm brought tornado warnings to areas near Waterloo Region on Sunday night.
According to 570’s Meteorologist Jill Taylor, a quickfire storm ripped through Waterloo Region and the Guelph area, showing flashes of lightning and strong thunder.
The storm began just before 10 p.m., and by 10:30 p.m. strong winds and heavy rain were pelting Waterloo Region.
According to Waterloo Regional Police, at around 10:50 p.m. a vehicle struck a downed tree that was knocked over by the storm in Woolwich Township at the intersection of Sandy Hills Drive and Northfield Drive. A power line was also downed by the storm, and the intersection was closed for hydro repairs.
The storm continued east towards the Guelph area, and prompted a tornado warning near Fergus.
“This was pretty impressive, with radar indicating weak tornado signatures in the area of Fergus, near Elora as well,” explained Taylor. “There was some pretty intense activity in that area.”
Taylor added that there were unconfirmed reports of damage due to strong winds in the Fergus area, including to buildings, vehicles, trees and hydro lines.
By 11 p.m., the storm was hitting Caledon and Bolton, bringing strong winds to the edge of the Greater Toronto Area.
“We do get thunderstorms at this time of year, but a little bit unusual to get that activity with those tornadic signatures,” said Taylor. “It was pretty impressive last night, and we did have quite a line of storms that moved through.”
For Monday, more storm activity is on the way for areas north of Waterloo Region, with Environment Canada issuing a special weather statement for municipalities on the shores of Lake Huron.
A Northern Tornadoes Project storm survey team is heading to Fergus to investigate the potentially tornadic damage that happened on Sunday night.
In Waterloo Region, it will be mild with cloud and drizzle.