“It’s unbelievable”: Heavy thunderstorm rolls through Toronto, one woman dead

A woman in Brampton has died after a severe thunderstorm with “near-gale force winds”. corresponding a meteorologist, appeared out of nowhere on Saturday afternoon, Shut down water linescutting performance smash houses across Ontario.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Weather Network meteorologist Mark Robinson said in one video delivery during the storm. Robinson crouched behind his car to avoid debris being thrown at him. “I can’t describe how strong these winds are,” he said. “It’s absolutely amazing.”

Daniel Liota, a meteorologist at Environment Canada’s storm forecasting center, told the Star that Saturday’s storm had wind speeds similar to those of a weak tornado. As a result, the agency sent out text message alerts urging residents of Ontar to seek shelter immediately. It’s the first time this has ever been done for a storm in the province, he said.

“Meteorologists are tracking a very dangerous thunderstorm that can produce destructive gusts of wind and hail of up to tons in size,” the warning said. The agency continued to warn of possible tornadoes, characterizing the storm as a “dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation.”

Tragically, that would be an accurate prediction. This was announced by the Peel regional police A woman in Brampton died Saturday after being hit by a tree during the storm.

The woman was in her 70s and walking alone in the storm when parts of a large tree fell on her, Peel Police Officer Heather Cannon told media at the scene.

“She was removed by first responders and taken to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries,” Cannon said. “Who should know that something like this will happen? It’s just an absolutely tragic, tragic accident.”

At the Royal York Station in Toronto, a Subway was immobilized after driving over a tree that had been downed by the storm. Police had to evacuate stranded passengers through the tunnels.

Several trees were thrown into cars in the Riverdale area of ​​Toronto with enough force to shatter windshields.

In London, Ontario, Nicole Fice tweeted a photo her neighbor’s collapsed porch after the storm threw trees inside.

A big tree was seen completely uprooted from under the concrete in Cambridge, Ontario.

A nature lover on Twitter warned that with so many trees scattered by the storm, many squirrel and bird nests would topple over.

The images and video were posted to Twitter as Environment Canada issued the severe thunderstorm warning for the city of Toronto and surrounding areas early Saturday afternoon.

Toronto’s warning was lifted at 1:38 p.m., just minutes after the short but intense storm rolled through the city.

“The storm is well east of the GTA now,” Liota said in an interview with the star just after 2 p.m. ‘He is now moving to Northumberland Country in parts of Cottage Country. It looks like the biggest serious gamble for the Golden Horseshoe and GTA for today is pretty much over.”

Toronto Hydro was still assessing the extent of damage caused by the storm at the time of publication.

“We continue to respond to a series of isolated power outages and downed wires across the city stemming from this afternoon’s storm, often caused by downed trees and branches,” a spokesman said.

Toronto Hydro advised people who encounter a downed power line to stay at least 10 feet away for their own safety and to call (416) 542-8000 to report it.

Share your storm photos with the star here.

Ben Cohen is a Toronto-based reporter for the star. Follow him on Twitter: @bcohenn

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