A tornado damaged buildings and flipped over cars as it tore its way through the Ottawa area to Gatineau on Friday.
A spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada told CTVNews.ca that the tornado first touched down near Dunrobin, Ont., causing "pretty significant" damage before heading across the Ottawa River.
Local officials said at least three people in Dunrobin suffered serious injuries. Videos and images on social media showed toppled trees, roofs ripped apart and streets littered with debris. One video posted to Twitter showed people rescuing a Beagle that had been trapped under rubble.
The City of Ottawa tweeted to confirm two locations of suspected tornado damage, with emergency staff responding to the Dunrobin and Hunt Club/Greenbank Road areas.
"The devastation is unreal," said witness Matthew Bowen. He said that approximately 10 houses and an entire mini mall in the area near his family's restaurant in Dunrobin were destroyed.
Environment Canada has dispatched teams from Montreal to survey the damage, and will send teams to the Ottawa area tomorrow to try and determine the strength of the storm.
“The probability of being affected by a tornado is very, very small. And even if you look at Ottawa, the coverage of this particular tornadic storm was actually quite small. But for the people affected, it’s devastating,” said Peter Kimbell, a meteorologist with the agency.
“And no one ever thinks they’ll be affected by it, but it does affect a few people.”
The tornado made it as far as Highway 50 near Gatineau, overturning several cars.
“I only have a day like this a couple times in my career. So yeah, it’s pretty remarkable,” said Kimbell.
The storm also appears to have caused a fire at Mont-Bleu Secondary School in Gatineau, with the latest report from CTV Ottawa's Joel Haslam reporting that the school has essentially burnt down
"To everyone dealing with the aftermath of the tornado in Dunrobin, ON & the Ottawa-Gatineau area – stay safe, follow the instructions of first responders and check in with people who might need extra help," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter.
"We’re monitoring the situation and thinking of everyone affected."
Environment and Climate Change Canada had issued a tornado warning for the Ottawa region, which was ended at 5:36 p.m.
Subsequent warnings for Prescott and Russell United Counties east of Ottawa as well as the Papineauville - Chénéville area near Upper Gatineau have also ended.
Other locations possibly impacted by the storm include Orléans, Rockland, Vanier and Beauchampville.
The weather agency warned that the situation was “dangerous and potentially life-threatening.”
The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management recommends individuals in the area take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches.
Warnings are expected to continue into the early evening as a cold front brings near 90 km/h southwesterly wind gusts.