Severe thunderstorm warning issued for Ottawa lifted

Rain cascades off the umbrella of a pedestrian as heavy rain falls in downtown Ottawa, on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

The severe weather warnings that were issued for Ottawa have been lifted after a brief, but powerful, storm moved through the national capital region Saturday evening.

Environment Canada had warned of “ping pong sized” hail, heavy rain and lightning at 5:43 p.m. A weather warning and watch issued earlier in the day were lifted about an hour later.

Lightning and heavy rain was seen in downtown Ottawa as the storm moved eastwards. Hydro Ottawa has not reported any power outages as of 7 p.m.

A warning remains in effect for communities east of Ottawa, including Hawkesbury and L’Orignal. A storm watch remains in effect in Ottawa and Gatineau.

“When thunder roars, go indoors,” Environment Canada says.

Thunderstorm activity was expected to diminish in the evening, Environment Canada said.

Watches are issued when the anticipated thunderstorms are capable of producing damaging hail, wind or rain, while warnings are called when they are imminent or occurring.

The rainy conditions follow several days of warm and humid weather in the nation’s capital.

Monica Vaswani, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada, told CTV News Ottawa Saturday that a low pressure system is moving across the province along with a cold front.

“That cold front is currently going over parts of the Greater Golden Horseshoe, in and around cottage country, and it’s produced a line of thunderstorms that will make its way eastward, basically going all the way to the Quebec border,” she said.

Vaswani says it’s relatively normal to see some severe weather this time of year.

“It is a time of year that we are starting to see convective weather, which basically means heavy downpours, showers and thunderstorms,” she said.

“If you do get caught in one of those very heavy downpours, then you could be looking at some very wet conditions unfortunately.”

Weather forecast

Warmer-than-normal temperatures and showers are in the forecast for Ottawa this Saturday.

Environment Canada says showers are expected to end early this evening then cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of rain. There is a risk of a thunderstorm early this evening. A low of 10 is also in the forecast.

Sunday will be rainy. A 30 per cent chance of showers will change to a 70 percent chance of showers in the morning. The weather agency calls for a high of 13 C.

On Monday, a high of 14 C and a mix of sun and cloud are expected. A low of 6 C and cloudy skies are anticipated for the night.

The normal temperatures for this time of year are a high of 20 C and a low of 9 C.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy