High winds down trees, sudden storms knock out power in southwestern Ontario

High winds down trees, sudden storms knock out power in southwestern Ontario

Winds hit 113 kilometres per hour at Windsor Airport, Environment Canada says

Winds of more than 100 kilometres per hour downed trees and knocked out power to parts of southwestern Ontario Friday evening as storms moved through the region.

Environment Canada upgraded its yellow thunderstorm watch for Essex County to an orange severe thunderstorm warning just before 7:30 p.m.

By that point, residents were already starting to post photos on social media of large trees uprooted or broken at the trunk, backyard gazebos and children’s play equipment overturned. Others showed shingles torn from roofs and branches littering roadways.

Windsor Airport reported winds of 113 kilometres per hour, the weather office told CBC.

The Essex Fun Fest shut down for the remainder of the day due to extreme weather conditions, the event said on its Facebook page.

“Please follow us on social media for any updates in regards to tomorrow,” festival organizers said in the post.

As of 9 p.m. Friday, power was out to more than 5,000 customers in Essex County, according to Hydro One’s website.

More than 600 were without power in rural Lambton County, and more than 1,200 lost power in the Cedar Springs area of Chatham-Kent.

More than 500 were also without power in London, according to London Hydro.

The Windsor Police Service said on social media that it's been receiving a high volume of 911 calls related to the storm.

It asked people to use the line for emergency situations only and to remain on the line and not hang up once the number is dialed.

Heather Kitching reports local news for CBC stations across Ontario and the North. You can reach her at heather.kitching@cbc.ca.