Niagara, Hamilton, Burlington, Brantford all had rainfall warnings for Sunday

Tornado warning for St. Catharines and Niagara Falls lifted by Environment Canada

Agency issued special weather statements for Hamilton, Brantford, Burlington for possible heavy rain

St. Catharines and Niagara Falls were briefly under a red tornado warning issued by Environment Canada early Sunday afternoon, with the federal agency warning Niagara, Hamilton, Burlington and Bradford were all at risk of very heavy rainfall until the evening.

The tornado warnings for St. Catharines and Niagara Falls came less than a week after areas of St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake were deluged with torrential rainfall resulting in heavy flooding and damage.

Shortly after the tornado warnings just before 1 p.m. that sparked an amber alert-type warning on cell phones in the areas, a wild storm swept through north Niagara Falls with pounding rain, extremely poor visibility, howling winds and power outages. Environment Canada lifted those tornado warnings soon afterward.

The agency also issued special weather statements for Hamilton, Burlington and Brantford for possible heavy rainfall on Sunday.

Environment Canada issued a yellow warning for Niagara Falls, saying heavy localized rainfall that could exceed 50 millimetres was expected Sunday morning and afternoon, with multiple thunderstorms possible.

"Water will likely pool on roads and in low-lying areas," the agency said. "Some property damage is possible."

The agency cautioned people not to drive through flooded roadways and to watch for washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts.

The yellow warning for St. Catharines predicted heavy rain at times with a risk of a thunderstorm, with local amounts of rain up to 40 to 50 millimetres. Showers were expected to end late Sunday evening, but there is a risk of a thunderstorm in the evening.

For Hamilton, the agency forecasted localized heavy rainfall of up to 50 millimetres this morning into this evening. Water will likely pool on roads and in low-lying areas, and visibility will likely be suddenly reduced at times, Environment Canada said.

The agency issued special weather statements for Brantford's and Burlington, saying there could be between 30 to 40 millimetres of rain with a 60 per cent chance of showers this evening and a risk of a thunderstorm.

Paul Forsyth is a St. Catharines-based CBC reporter covering communities in the Niagara Region. He has decades of reporting experience in Niagara, having worked for Niagara This Week, the St. Catharines Standard and the Welland Tribune before joining CBC. You can reach him at paul.forsyth@cbc.ca.