A possible tornado was spotted in the Laurentians as various extreme weather events hit Quebec on Tuesday.
Nicoleta Coca Alexe was driving south on Highway 15 Tuesday night when she saw what she believed to be a tornado near Sainte-Adèle.
“As you can see from the photo, it was pretty clear. It was fascinating, it was overwhelming!” exclaims Ms. Coca Alexe on the phone.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY NICOLETA COCA ALEXE
Environment Canada could not confirm Tuesday night if it was a tornado. The Ministry clarified that it would take until tomorrow morning.
It could also be a funnel cloud if the cone didn’t touch the bottom.
The Weather Network also reported the event as a “possible tornado.”
No tornado warning was issued for that region on Tuesday, but violent thunderstorms hit the Outaouais and Laurentians, disempowering tens of thousands of people.
“It was a funnel descending from heaven. At first we thought it was local rain, but the closer we got the more it looked like a tornado, continues Ms. Coca Alexe. I had never seen a comparable meteorological phenomenon.
However, at around 6:30 p.m., Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning that affected the Laurentians region, among others.
“Conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may cause strong gusts and large hail this afternoon and evening,” the ministry said.
Huge hailstones also fell in the Outaouais and the Laurentians.
A ragged cloud?
On the side of Quebec Vortex, a group of storm chasers, founding member David Rémillard is skeptical about these images.
“We get a lot of photos from across Quebec of phenomena that look like this, but we don’t think it’s a tornado,” he says.
Rather, he believes it is a “ragged cloud.” “It’s a cloud that emanates from the ground and thickens to the base of the storm. In conditions like today that’s pretty typical.”