Violent Thunderstorms Kill Three People in Canada as Torrential Rain and Strong Winds Struck the National Capital Region

Violent thunderstorms with deadly torrential rain and destructive high winds have left two people dead in Ottawa, Ontario, and Gatineau, Quebec this weekend.

Another person was killed by the storm in the town of Renfrew, Ontario.

The severe weather left a trail of destruction and caused widespread power outages in multiple areas.

Multiple incidents of road traffic disruption have been reported and placing travel at a standstill in the affected areas.

Various storm watches and storm warnings have been issued as other regions are still at risk, according to the latest reports.

Canadian weather officials have issued previously issued a warning that the storm was potentially dangerous, hitting other areas like Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), uprooting trees, and causing property damage due to the severe thunderstorms.

Three People Dead

Powerful thunderstorms brought heavy downpours and fatal winds in the capital city of Ottawa and its surrounding areas across Canada's National Capital Region on Saturday, May 21, killing at least three people, according to the Ottawa Citizen, a Canadian local newspaper.

One of the three reported fatalities died after a boat capsized during the storm along the Ottawa River, situated between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Another person died in the west end of the city, according to the Ottawa Police Service, as cited by the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the other death occurred when a fallen tree hit a 44-year-old man's cottage property on Calabogie Road in the Renfrew-Greater Madawaska area, where the Ontario Provincial Police responded to a call regarding the incident.

Paramedics took the man to a hospital where he was pronounced dead by medical staff upon arrival.

In addition, two people sustained critical injuries at separate golf courses, with the other reportedly dying from a storm-related motor vehicle accident.

Emergency services have been deployed in the affected locations as per the latest reports.

Infrastructural Damage and Travel Disruption

As heavy winds and lightning downed power lines, including near the Ottawa Airport, approximately 650 outages are currently affecting more than 170,000 customers, according to the power outage map of Hydro Ottawa as of 09:18 p.m. EDT (local time) on Sunday, May 22.

Hydro Ottawa states the said storm hazards have resulted in extensive damage to their infrastructure across the city.

Due to the severity of the destruction, the electricity distribution company estimated that power restoration is expected to extend in multiple days.

Repair crews are also on the clock to ensure public safety and bring back power supply as soon as possible, the company adds.

The severe storms and its strong winds uprooted trees across the capital with the following incidents reported, including on Paul Anka Driver, near Hunt Club Road in the south end, where most trees have been reported destroyed.

In terms of transportation, several bus and metro services have either been delayed, diverted, or halted during the weekend.

Thunderstorm Threat Remains

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - National Weather Service (NWS) and Environment Canada have recently issued weather alerts for the slight tornado risk posed by severe storms affecting the United States-Canada border region, as per the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Since tornadoes also emanate from severe thunderstorms, Environment Canada has issued tornado warnings for several Quebec regions.

This comes as the NOAA - NWS has forecasted the risk for severe storms in the Northeast US and adjacent areas to Canada's national capital region.