Heavy storms rip through Ontario and the photos are wild
After weeks of dry, warm weather, Ontario was hit with a dramatic turn on Sunday night, as heavy storms and lightning lit up the skies across the province.
From Toronto to all across the GTA and beyond, residents managed to capture jaw-dropping photos and videos of the storm, including ominous cloud formations and sheets of rain, some of which looked almost too surreal.
The storm was certainly no surprise, as Environment Canada had previously warned of severe thunderstorms moving through southern Ontario on Sunday night into Monday morning, with the potential for up to 50 millimetres of rain, wind gusts reaching 90 km/h, and hail as large as 2 centimetres.
A different view of the same shelf cloud in Kitchener- sent to me by a very freaked out friend as it rolled over their street- Doon Village. pic.twitter.com/whUn5nwo7c
— π¨π¦ Lori πππππ (@backwardsblonde) September 22, 2025
In Waterloo Region, the storm damaged trees and power lines, and residents there and in nearby communities witnessed a striking sight — a massive shelf cloud rolling across the sky. The clouds, which often mark the leading edge of a thunderstorm, can appear to rotate along a horizontal axis.
Shelf cloud hitting Downtown Kitchener 5 minutes ago. High winds and rain bucketing now. Lots of lightning. #onstorm pic.twitter.com/RouhYT7mXO
— Matthew Woodward (@Matthew_W27) September 21, 2025
Photos of the storms quickly spread online, with many people noting that the scenes were so surreal that they looked AI-generated. One shot, shared on X, shows lighting sparking up the sky, while another shows a massive cloud formation looming over a residential neighbourhood.
Insane storm structure in Cambridge #onstorm pic.twitter.com/2WvAB9T0mG
— Kaine (@Bernr23) September 21, 2025
The storm comes just after a notably dry period of weather in September. Before last night's storm, Toronto-Pearson had only recorded 19.3 millimetres of rain throughout the month, which is far below the seasonal average of 69.4 millimetres.
When you look out the window and go holy crap #onstorm #kitchener @StormhunterTWN @weathernetwork @IWeatherON pic.twitter.com/3eBUgCAyIG
— Ems (@emmahorner89) September 21, 2025
Even with risks of localized flooding, the storm provided an astonishing display for us spectators. One video, shared by meteorologist Anthony Farnell, shows just how fierce the system was as it swept through the sky.
Sauble beach as the storm approached. From Andy Straughan. #onstorm pic.twitter.com/DtkmUartZj
— Anthony Farnell (@AnthonyFarnell) July 24, 2025
If you're a fan of the classic, dreary fall weather, you'll be happy to hear that Toronto is in for some more precipitation and thunderstorms this week. According to The Weather Network, there is a risk of thunderstorms on Monday in Toronto in the late afternoon to evening, as well as late night from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m.
There is also a risk of thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as soaking rain on Thursday. By Friday, conditions are expected to clear up, with partly sunny skies taking us right into the weekend.
