Suspected tornado hits Barrie, Ont. hail and high wind gusts damage buildings in area

© Edward Loveless/Twitter Homes were damaged in a Barrie, Ont., neighbourhood after a tornado tore through the region Thursday.

Homes in Barrie, Ont., were seriously damaged Thursday after a suspected tornado tore through the region.

Residents in Barrie posted photos and videos of damage from the storm. Many homes had damage to roofs, backyards and fences.

Police in Barrie, which is about 115 km north of Toronto, said they are responding to “multiple reports of damage” in the southeast part of the city.

Environment Canada had first issued a severe thunderstorm watch just before noon for Barrie, Midland, and Orillia. That was upgraded to a tornado warning by early afternoon which ended just before 3 p.m. ET.

Video: Severe storms bring wind, lighting, and tornado threat for Ontario and Quebec (The Weather Network)

Severe storms bring wind, lighting, and tornado threat for Ontario and Quebec

SHARE

SHARE

TWEET

SHARE

EMAIL

Click to expand

UP NEXT

By 3 p.m., Environment Canada issued another tornado warning for Newmarket, Georgina, Uxbridge and surrounding areas, but had ended it by 3:30 p.m. As of 3:30 p.m. a tornado warning is in effect for the Peterborough-Kawartha Lakes area, and has ended in other regions.

Various severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings and watches continued to be issued as the storm moved east across the province. All of southern Ontario remained in a severe thunderstorm watch as of 4:30 p.m. 

Much of southern Ontario beyond Toronto remained under a severe thunderstorm watch according to Environment Canada later that afternoon. 

Hazards include damaging wind gusts of 90 to 110 km/h, nickel-sized or golf ball-sized hails, and heavy downpours.

Environment Canada said it was continuing to monitor for possible tornadoes.