Ottawa

Ottawa-Gatineau under thunderstorm watch, cleanup efforts begin in Kingston after tornado warning

Tornado warning for Kingston area rescinded just before 1:30 p.m. ET

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

The weather agency said Tuesday morning that conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain.

The storm could start this morning into this afternoon and possibly early this evening, the agency said.

The area could see wind gusts up to 110 km/h, golf ball-sized hail and 50 millimetres or more of rain, according to the watch.

The watch covers a large swath of eastern Ontario. Another yellow thunderstorm watch is in effect for parts of western Quebec.

The watch is yellow, the lowest level on Environment Canada's three-level scale.

Local utility outages are also possible, the agency warned.

Fallen trees, flooding reported in Kingston area

Significant thunderstorms and tornado warnings tore through Kingston, Ont., and its surrounding communities early Tuesday afternoon.

There was reported flooding at the Gardiners Road underpass, near the intersection of Development Drive in Kingston, according to a statement from the city.

The City of Kingston says transit operations were briefly suspended during the storm, with additional flooding and toppled trees concentrated to the north and east ends of the city.

Environment Canada said its meteorologists were tracking a severe thunderstorm with the potential of producing a tornado in the area.

The weather agency issued a red tornado warning for Kingston and the surrounding area at 12:46 p.m. ET on Tuesday. It rescinded that warning just before 1:30 p.m. ET.

In South Frontenac, there was an uptick in emergency calls as uprooted trees crashed onto roadways.

South Frontenac Fire Chief Del Blakney recalls the sky turning black just before the storm rolled in.

"It seemed like it was nighttime," said Blakney, South Frontenac's emergency services director. "I went to the window to look and all I saw were the trees swirling in the wind and rain."

Red is the highest level on Environment Canada's three-colour scale, indicating life-threatening weather that could cause extreme disruption.