Ontario and Quebec face severe storm and flooding risks

Severe thunderstorms are expected to impact Ontario and Quebec this Saturday, bringing risks of localized flooding, damaging wind gusts, and large hail. A cold front moving through the region is expected to trigger scattered thunderstorms that may organize into a line during the early afternoon.

Activity is forecast to begin in the morning with heavy rain in the Greater Toronto Area, moving east toward Kingston and Ottawa. The strongest storms are likely to form along the cold front in northeastern and eastern Ontario, as well as western Quebec. By Saturday evening, the risk is expected to shift into southern Ontario as lake breezes organize thunderstorms.

Forecasters noted that while atmospheric moisture provides a reservoir for heavy rainfall, upper-level smoke from western wildfires may enter the region and potentially suppress the severity of some storms.