Severe thunderstorm passes over Ottawa

Heavy rain in Ottawa's ByWard Market. May 30, 2025. (CTV News Ottawa)

A severe thunderstorm brought heavy rain to Ottawa Friday evening.

Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorms warning just before 6 p.m., warning of storms capable of producing strong wind gusts of up to 90 km/h and toonie sized hail.

The storm brought heavy rain and lightning to parts of the city. Several residents on social media reported seeing hail.

The weather delayed the start of the Ottawa Redblacks game at TD Place Stadium.

Hydro Ottawa urged residents to be cautious. As of 7 p.m., its outage map was reporting 13 active outages affecting 476 customers, but it’s unclear how many are weather-related.

Between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., Environment Canada reported a seven-degree drop in the temperature. The recorded temperature was 21 C at the Ottawa International Airport at 6 p.m. It fell to 14 C in the space of an hour.

The severe thunderstorm warning for Ottawa ended just after 7 p.m.