Many midwestern Ontarians will be in full clean-up mode Thursday after intense storms that brought down trees and hydro lines swept through the region late Wednesday afternoon.
Huron and Perth counties were hit particularly hard as the system packing winds that surpassed 100 kilometres an hour, torrential rain, and large hail made its way inland from Lake Huron.
Environment Canada issued severe thunderstorm warnings throughout midwestern and southwestern Ontario. By 4:30 p.m., some had been upgraded to orange and red-level tornado warnings. Clinton, Mitchell, Seaforth and Vanastra were among the areas under the red tornado warning, but whether one actually developed still needs to be investigated.
Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project has confirmed it will send damage survey teams out Thursday morning.
"An active storm day in parts of southern Ontario with most damage being reported from about Bayfield to Cambridge. Some of the damage is significant (e.g. barn destroyed)," Northern Tornadoes Project said in a social media post. "It appears the damage is mostly due to straight-line winds, but it’s possible that there was a tornado or two involved."
The tornado researchers also warned about suspected fake, AI-generated images circulating online of tornadoes in Guelph and Paris.
"These are becoming increasingly prevalent in storm situations," Northern Tornadoes Project said.
Meanwhile, Hydro One crews worked through the night trying to reconnect customers with thousands still out as of Thursday morning, including roughly 4,500 in the Bayfield area, 3,500 in the Goderich area, and 3,600 in Huron East. The utility provider reminded anyone who encounters a downed hydro line to stay at least ten metres back and report it by calling 911 or Hydro One.
West Region OPP confirmed a number of roads were still closed due to downed power lines and fallen trees. Some of the affected roads included Perth Line 55 between Highway 23 and Road 66, Highway 8 from Clinton to Road 140, Perth Line 44 from Road 150 to Road 179, and Highway 21 between Zurich-Hensall Road and Sararas Road. The full list of active closures can be found by clicking here.
The Seaforth Golf Club has announced it will remain closed for the next two days as an initial assessment of the storm damage found more than 50 trees on its property were uprooted or snapped.
"Nobody was hurt by the storm and there was no significant damage to the clubhouse or other infrastructure that we can tell; however, the course is currently unplayable," the golf club said in a statement. "We will be closed Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4th. The entire facility is closed, this includes the driving range and practice facilities."
The golf club hopes to be back open this weekend.
Conditions for the clean up will be hot but dry, with Environment Canada forecasting a mix of sun and cloud for Thursday. The daytime high is expected to climb to 24 C, feeling more like 30 with the humidity.
