Tara Jeffrey
Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Sarnia-Lambton as a line of thunderstorms moving from lower Michigan is expected to reach southwestern Ontario late Wednesday afternoon.
“Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain,” the agency noted.
This latest batch of storms has the potential to produce wind gusts of 90 to 110km/h, heavy rainfall, large hail and the risk of tornadoes.
“Strong to damaging winds will be the primary hazard followed by heavy rainfall,” the alert stated. “Heavy downpours associated with thunderstorms may produce local amounts of 50 to 75 mm. This rainfall may occur over a relatively short period of time. Tornadoes cannot be ruled out, especially over extreme southwestern Ontario.”
The region also remains under a heat warning amid hot and humid conditions expected to last through to Friday.
Meanwhile, crews are still working to clean up storm damage from last week’s severe weather.
The storm that ripped giant trees out of the ground and caused widespread damage to central Sarnia and parts of Point Edward Thursday has been officially categorized as a downburst with winds reaching 125 km/h.
Near Petrolia, the same weather system generated a weak tornado, say investigators with Western University’s Northern Tornadoes Project.