海角社区官网is under a severe thunderstorm watch with聽heavy聽rain聽and strong winds expected to roll through most of southern Ontario聽this afternoon.
Environment Canada is forecasting a 70 per cent chance of showers or thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon for the city.听 are also in place north of Toronto, including for Newmarket and Aurora, as well as to the east in Oshawa, Ajax and Pickering.听
Cities west of Toronto, including Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton, are also under the watch for severe weather.听
“Conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms that may be capable of producing damaging wind gusts and large hail (of up to 4 centimetres),” Environment Canada wrote in its advisory.听
Large swathes of the province, including the Greater 海角社区官网Area, may see damaging “supercell” storms, with wind gusts up to 110 km/h and hail up to the size of ping-pong balls, meteorologists told the Star on Monday.听
Environment Canada鈥檚 Geoff Coulson says these rare, long-lasting storms could also carry a risk of tornadoes.
Large hail could damage property and injure people, and strong wind gusts could damage buildings, take down trees and blow vehicles off the road, the agency added.
Environment Canada is warning people to immediately take cover if threatening weather approaches: “There isn’t a place outside that is safe during a thunderstorm.”
Gusty southwest winds of up to 50 km/h are expected to pick up through the day, pushing the high to 24 C and making it feel more like 29 with the humidex. The UV index is 7 鈥 considered high 鈥 for those venturing outdoors between breaks in the clouds.
Tuesday afternoon could bring some of the most severe thunderstorms Ontario has seen this year, as high heat, humidity and a cold front collide.
Stormy conditions may continue into the evening, with a 40 per cent chance of showers and possible thunderstorms before skies begin to clear overnight. Temperatures are expected to drop sharply to a low of 2 C by late evening, as winds shift northwest.
A brief reprieve comes Wednesday, with skies clearing in the morning and a cooler high of 13 C 鈥 just 8 C near Lake Ontario.
Rain is set to return Thursday and Friday, with a 70 per cent and 60 per cent chance of showers, respectively, and highs hovering around 13 C.
A mix of sun and cloud is forecast for Saturday with a slight chance of showers and a high of 11 C. Sunday promises clear skies and sunshine, bringing a high of 14 C.
How can I prepare for the storm?
Coulson warns Ontarians to secure any loose objects around their property before the storm hits, because strong winds could pick them up and hurl them about as projectiles: 鈥淓ither bring them into the garage, into the home or tie them down,鈥 he said.
Avoid unnecessary travel when it鈥檚 storming out. And if you hear thunder near you, find solid shelter and stay inside for at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder.
鈥淟ightning can occur all around the storm, up to about 15 to 17 kilometres away,鈥 Coulson said. 鈥淪o even when the storm has moved away from your location, you want to wait that extra 30 minutes to make sure it鈥檚 well away.鈥
Otherwise, Coulson recommends Ontarians to stay alert for severe weather notices, pay attention to their weather apps and keep updated with media coverage as the storm approaches.
鈥淭his has the potential for one of the more damaging outbreaks of storms that we鈥檝e seen.鈥
With files from Kevin Jiang聽
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