Environment Canada issued severe weather alerts on Thursday, July 2, 2026, as intense thunderstorms and high humidity brought potential tornadoes and widespread power outages to Ontario and Quebec.
A brief tornado warning was issued and subsequently lifted for communities west of Cornwall, Ontario, including Winchester, Newington, Morrisburg, and Long Sault.
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Forecasters predicted wind gusts reaching up to 100 km/h, large hail, and over 30 mm of rain for the Waterloo Region, following a Wednesday storm that damaged Canada Day events.
The extreme weather system left thousands of residents without electricity across both provinces.
Hydro-Québec reported over 9,000 households without power by late Thursday morning, while Ontario's Hydro One stated that 168,000 clients had experienced outages at various points during the storm.
The active weather system followed record-breaking rainfall on Wednesday, which forced the cancellation of national holiday celebrations.
Ottawa received a record 111 millimeters of rain within a short period, leading officials to cancel the main Canada Day show and fireworks display.
Extremely high humidity and temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius created highly unstable atmospheric conditions.
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The heat wave expanded eastward into the Maritimes, prompting Environment Canada to issue extreme heat alerts for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
The heat wave impacted major sporting events in Ontario's largest city.
The City of Toronto canceled the outdoor public viewing of the FIFA World Cup round-of-16 match between Portugal and Croatia at Nathan Phillips Square due to the extreme heat health risks.
MeteoMedia reported that extreme instability and humidity levels provided the necessary energy to fuel severe localized storms.
Torrential rains, hail, and high wind gusts affected numerous sectors including Bécancour, Villeroy, Mont-Tremblant, and the greater Montreal area.
Environment Canada projected that the stifling humidity and high temperatures, which could feel as hot as 42 degrees Celsius with the humidex, will persist through Friday.
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Conditions are forecast to cool down beginning Saturday morning.
