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Red tornado warnings were issued for several communities in the London area Thursday afternoon and evening as a severe thunderstorm moved across southwestern Ontario, bringing with it torrential downpours and strong winds.
As of 7:50 p.m., all tornado warnings had been lifted for the London and Chatham-Kent areas, but thunderstorms continued to cross the region.
One warning issued just after 7 p.m. for Chatham-Kent, Rondeau Park and western Elgin County said the โtornado siteโ was over Moraviantown and moving east at 25 mph. The warning for Elgin County was the second issued in the area in less than an hour.
The tornado was not confirmed by Environment Canada or Western Universityโs Northern Tornado Project.
Environment Canada weather advisories and warnings as of 8:00 p.m. June 25, 2026. Solid yellow areas are severe thunderstorm warnings and semi-transparent yellow areas are severe thunderstorm warnings. (Environment Canada)
Previous tornado warnings issued around 6:40 p.m. for parts of western Elgin County, including Rodney and Shedden, and around 6 p.m. for western Middlesex County, including Strathroy, were canceled until 7 p.m.
Those warnings said the โtornado siteโ was over Glencoe, moving east at 40 km/h, and then over John E. Pierce Provincial Park, moving east at 25 km/h.
โI noticed a weird separation in the clouds, so I watched it for a minute and then my heart stopped because I realized it was actually falling,โ said Glencoe resident Amanda Vanderkuyl.
โSuddenly I literally saw a wall of water coming out. You can hear it through the trees from the house, so it was pretty chilly and a little scary to watch,โ she said. โThen it hit like a freight train.โ
Vanderkuyl said she estimated the weather event lasted a total of 10 minutes. Other than a few winds, there was no damage to her property, she said.
However, Vanderkuyl said the storm stands out among recent weather events in the region.
โStorms often throw us off, but they usually donโt come right away,โ she said. โI felt like I could touch him.โ
Tornado warnings were issued late in the afternoon for Sarnia and eastern Lambton County, including Lambton Shores, Grand Bend, Pinery Provincial Park and Watford. The warnings were lifted around 6 p.m.
As of 8 p.m., much of southwestern Ontario was under severe thunderstorm warnings, with some areas under severe thunderstorm warnings.
If threatening weather approaches, take shelter in a basement or interior room, the weather forecast says. He adds that anyone outside should protect themselves from flying debris and hail and secure any loose items.
Local utility outages were also possible with wind gusts of up to 90 km/h and the possibility of small hail, Environment Canada said.
Earlier in the day, Environment Canada meteorologist Peter Kimbell said the severity of the storm will depend in part on how much sun the region receives during the day.
โItโs kind of a double-edged sword,โ he said. โWe need sun, but the more sunshine we get on days like today, it will increase temperatures, increase instability and cause some thunderstorm activity.โ
The risk of tornadoes was initially considered low
When CBC News spoke with Kimbell, he said the risk of tornadoes is very low, explaining that while some atmospheric conditions are favorable, the risk is low.
โItโs not like there are some situations where the (wind) shear is very high and that increases the likelihood of a tornado. This is not the case today.โ