Haze over Ottawa lifts as thunderstorm pushes smoky air out
Weather warnings and alerts for Ottawa have now officially ended following a thunderstorm that moved across the region. The cold front behind the storm also helped to push out the smoky, hazy air from wildfires in northwestern Ontario that had settled over the city.
A line of severe thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts. A severe thunderstorm warning for Ottawa ended at around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday and the severe thunderstorm watch was lifted at around 6:30 p.m.
Warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada Peter Kimbell tells CTV News Ottawa that while the storms were powerful, there was no reported tornado activity.
"We do not have a tornado warning out on it. I know we've heard about possible activity in the Kemptville area but we did not issue a tornado warning. The signature on radar really did not support that this afternoon," he said.
Kimbell said the Ottawa airport recorded wind gusts of up to 65 km/h and about 20 mm of rainfall.
"Some areas would have had more than that. By the time it's over, some areas will have picked up 30 or maybe 35 millimetres of rain. Some areas will also have seen stronger gusts locally in this particular line of thunderstorms."
Images of uprooted trees, hail and damge to homes were shared online late Tuesday.
@BlacksWeather This is what 3/4”hail sounds like hitting the car in Winchester just after 4:00 pm. Had to wait in car until storm passed. Lots of shredded leaves. I imagine some crop damage to corn and soy beans. pic.twitter.com/8qjYSuaEJP
— James Wilson (@wilsonjamesb) July 20, 2021
@AnthonyFarnell @BlacksWeather
— James Wilson (@wilsonjamesb) July 20, 2021
Damage from hail just east of Hallville (near Winchester) at around 4:00 pm. Crops destroyed. The green sticks are soybeans and corn and the chipped bark was caused by hail. pic.twitter.com/rYlnrgSblT
Tree fell on a back deck and destroyed it in Hallville. Pictures from Brittany Carkner. #onstorm @NTP_Reports pic.twitter.com/syoxPW2GoH
— Connor Mockett (@ConnorMockettWX) July 20, 2021
A statement about air quality due to wildfire smoke was first issued Monday evening. Environment Canada lifted it at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"We have a cold front moving through pushing out all of that air and it should be much more normal tomorrow," Kimbell said.
The smoke lingered for much of Tuesday afternoon, but not enough to stop Robin Stong from heading outdoors for her daily exercise.
“It’s a little disconcerting. It’s supposed to be soot and stuff, so I’m a little concerned about it,” says Stong, adding that wearing a mask has helped. “I’m just taking it slower and not trying to exert too much so I’m not heavy breathing.”
Along the Rideau River, near the Chapman Mills Conservation Area, there was a haze hovering over the waterway. Katherine Birrell, her son William, and friend Meredith Ball continued with their plan to paddle board, despite the conditions.
“It doesn’t feel so smoggy when you’re out on the water,” says Birrell. “It felt fine. I wasn’t working too hard; it was a leisurely paddle.”
For Ball, the smoke is a reminder that her son Logan, a forest ranger, is fighting some of those Ontario wildfires.
“He’s about two hours north of Thunder Bay in Armstrong,” says Ball who spoke to her son on Monday before he was transported by helicopter to another blaze. “Some of the ones they fought have been pretty small and some of them have been much much bigger.”
A smog warning for Gatineau has also ended.
--With files from CTV Ottawa's Megan Shaw and Tyler Fleming.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.