Weak tornado confirmed in south Ottawa

A weak tornado formed around the southwest end of Ottawa on Wednesday, along with "multiple funnel clouds" and hail, as a series of severe storm cells passed through the region, researchers and Environment Canada have confirmed.

Investigators from Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project were dispatched to the Franktown area of Beckwith Township, Ont., next to Ottawa to examine damage after the Wednesday afternoon storms.

They found damage starting around the Lanark County-Ottawa border, moving east around Franktown Road into Richmond.

It's being classified as an EF0 tornado (on a wind-intensity scale of zero to five) with maximum wind speeds around 125 km/h.

The area is about 50 kilometres southwest of downtown Ottawa. No injuries were reported.

In a weather summary posted on its website Thursday night, Environment Canada said several storms brought pea-sized to ping-pong-ball sized hail to parts of central and southeastern Ontario Wednesday.

Tree damage was reported in Prince Edward County, Kingston and Kemptville, and there was tree damage and property damage in the south Ottawa suburb of Richmond, Environment Canada said.

"Multiple funnel clouds were also reported with the thunderstorms that passed south of Ottawa in the Richmond and Kemptville areas," the weather summary said.

4 local tornadoes in 2022

Wednesday's weak tornado is the fourth tornado confirmed by the team in eastern Ontario since mid-June. That doesn't count May's fatal derecho.

Environment Canada issued severe thunderstorm warnings in eastern Ontario Wednesday and a tornado warning for Cornwall and Morrisburg as the severe weather blew through.

Elsewhere in Ontario, northwest of Toronto, a waterspout was spotted near Sauble Beach off Lake Huron.