Tornado risk in western Renfrew County today

Environment Canada has issued a tornado risk for western Renfrew County on Tuesday, along with a rainfall warning and severe thunderstorm watch for most of western Quebec, extending into early Wednesday.

The severe thunderstorm watch, which includes the potential for a tornado, is in effect for Renfrew County, specifically west of Petawawa and Barry's Bay, during the afternoon and evening on Tuesday.

A tornado watch indicates that an approaching storm could produce a tornado. A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been sighted or when there is strong evidence that one is imminent.

In the event of a tornado, Environment Canada advises people to move away from exterior walls and windows, ideally heading to a basement or the ground floor, and to exit vehicles immediately.

These storms are also expected to bring strong wind gusts, hail, heavy rain, and lightning, in addition to the tornado risk.

Renfrew County is also under a special weather statement predicting up to 60 millimetres of rain from late Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday. A significant portion of this rain could fall within an hour, potentially leading to a rainfall warning.

In Pembroke, the daily rainfall record of about 26 millimetres set on August 27, 1997, may be broken.

In western Quebec, another thunderstorm watch is in place for the Outaouais region, excluding Gatineau and its easternmost areas like Grenville. Communities east of Quyon could receive 20 to 40 millimetres of rain, while those to the west could see around 50 millimetres, with some areas under a rainfall warning.

If multiple thunderstorms occur in these areas, the total rainfall could exceed the warning level, with up to 75 millimetres possible.

Ottawa is expected to receive between 15 and 25 millimetres of rain overnight.

Environment Canada cautions that the rain could lead to flash floods and water pooling on roads. In preparation for potential flooding, they recommend learning how to shut off utilities, protecting heating equipment, and having sandbags and emergency kits on hand.

If flooding occurs, it's important not to walk or drive through the water, even if it appears shallow.

Precipitation trends in the Ottawa-Gatineau region have varied: Ottawa experienced a drier-than-usual year until early summer, while Kingston remains about 200 millimetres below its average rainfall so far this year.