A thunderstorm moving over eastern Ontario prompted some brief tornado warnings Tuesday afternoon, sending alerts to cellphones across Ottawa and other parts of the region. All tornado warnings have since ended. At 4:11 p.m., Environment Canada said meteorologists were tracking a thunderstorm that was “possibly producing a tornado” and that damaging winds, large hail and locally intense rainfall were also possible. By 4:23 p.m. the red warning-tornado was cancelled for Ottawa and was then in effect for the Prescott-Russell area. That warning ended just before 5 p.m. It is unclear at this time whether a tornado touched down anywhere in the region. Environment Canada had earlier issued a yellow warning-severe thunderstorm for Ottawa, calling for torrential downpours and wind gusts of up to 110 km/h. The yellow warning and watch for severe thunderstorms have since been lifted. The forecast calls for 15 to 20 mm of rain in Ottawa by tonight. The rain is expected to end by midnight, according to Environment Canada. A total of 177.8 mm of rain has already been recorded at the Ottawa International Airport weather station this month, including a record 118.4 mm of rain on Canada Day. Forecast Environment Canada says showers will continue this afternoon. There is a risk of a thunderstorm. High 25 C with the humidex making it feel like 30. Showers will end near midnight then cloudy with a 40 per cent chance of showers. Low 17 C. Wednesday will be cloudy with a 40 per cent chance of showers in the morning. High 21 C. Sunshine will return on Thursday. High 25 C. The outlook for Friday will be sunny. High 27 C. Saturday will see a mix of sun and cloud. High 29 C. The normal temperatures for this time of year are a high of 27 C and a low of 16 C.
