Tornado confirmed near Montreal as major storm pounds region

Torrential rain causes flooding in Montreal region While a tornado warning was downgraded, heavy rains flooded streets, buckled asphalt and raised manhole covers

Environment Canada confirmed a tornado touched down in the Montreal area Thursday as a severe storm system swept through the city and caused major flooding.

Meteorologist Monica Vaswani said the tornado was spotted by an observer at the Mirabel airport, about 50 kilometres northwest of the Island of Montreal.

A tornado warning, urging caution about "a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation" caused by the storm for the Montreal area was lifted around 4:25 p.m.

Heavy rains caused flash floods, leading to the closure of the Décarie in both directions between the Turcot interchange and Highway 40.

The City of Montreal said there were about 15 underpasses across the city that were flooded as of 6 p.m.

Drivers on the Décarie underpass were caught in the middle of the flooding Thursday afternoon.

"There's the water mains are all backed up, there's water spewing out and police actually made it through and closed it off. So nobody's moving," said Anna, who called into CJAD 800 radio. "It looks like a waterfall."

"I actually think I'm the last person that made it through before they closed it. I didn't see the guy that was behind me make it through the water. It was over his lights," said Stephanie, a CJAD 800 caller who was near Royalmount Ave.

"I barely made it through my car kept slowing. I'm like, I'm not going to make it," she said.

Montrealers reported pooling water in the city, including in metro stations and shopping malls, as heavy rains inundated large parts of the region.

One viewer sent CTV News images of a flooded underpass in Cote Saint-Luc, an on-island municipality. Water could be seen gushing from the walkways flanking the road, leaving drivers to trudge through several centimeters of water.

Residents shared footage of the storm on social media, showing ominous clouds and heavy rain in some areas.

LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: 'The Weather Whisperer' provides an update on ongoing Montreal tornado warning

TORNADO CAUSES DAMAGE IN OTTAWA

In Ottawa, a tornado touched down in the south-end suburb of Barrhaven Thursday afternoon, Environment Canada confirmed.

The storm damaged around 50 homes and several trees in the area. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The same system produced multiple tornadoes in the Chicago area Wednesday night and at least one tornado near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, delaying hundreds of flights.

The National Weather Service in Chicago confirmed a tornado at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening. No injuries were reported, but storms downed power lines, trees and branches, and damaged buildings.

WEATHER OUTLOOK

Friday and Saturday will feature calmer conditions, with more thunderstorms possible on Sunday and early next week.

This is a developing story and will be updated.