The severe weather in southern Quebec caused a confirmed tornado at Mirabel in the Laurentians, but also the formation of funnel clouds in two regions.
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A first funnel cloud was seen in Vaudreuil and a second in Sorel-Tracy. Experience reports and pictures show considerable damage in Sorel. Our journalist Yves Poirier can also see major damage on site.
The roof of the Ford dealership was ripped off around 4:30-4:45 p.m.
A video posted to social media shows a funnel cloud forming on the St. Lawrence River near the bank, not far from Sorel-Tracy. It’s hard to say if that funnel hit the bottom and if it hit the church. Could it be a maritime tornado, as Environment Canada alerted on Thursday afternoon?
The conclusions of the investigation will make it possible to say so.
“A full assessment will be conducted as more information becomes available, involving the staff of the Northern Tornadoes Project to assess the damage,” Environment Canada said in its weather summary released Friday morning.
According to witnesses, many trees were downed and the roofs of some buildings were torn off. A “damage corridor” is reported that may indicate the path of a tornado. On Friday morning, 3/4 of the residents were still without electricity.
There is a lot going on in the Ottawa and Montreal areas due to severe storms yesterday. Here’s a status update:
– confirmed a devastating tornado in the Barrhaven area of Ottawa, Ontario, with an NTP team scheduled to arrive around 10am to begin an assessment of the damage
– confirmed tornado in Mirabel, QC… pic.twitter.com/yLjzKne0pL
— Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 (@westernuNTP) July 14, 2023
At the peak of the storm, gusts of 111 km/h were recorded at Montreal-Trudeau Airport on Thursday. Stronger gusts could have been registered elsewhere.
Between 50 and 90 millimeters of rain fell in the St. Lawrence Valley. Several fires broke out due to lightning strikes and hail of between 1 and 2 cm was observed.