The Star 12:55 pm: Environment Canada has issued a tornado watch for parts of southern Ontario, including the town of Goderich, which is still recovering from one of the worst tornadoes to hit the province in years.
The watch is in effect for areas west of Toronto, from Windsor and London up to Barrie and Muskoka.
The agency says a line of thunderstorms is expected to develop over Michigan in the afternoon and then rapidly shift eastward into southern Ontario.
The storm is tied to a cold front that is currently over the Wisconson area, said Geoff Coulson, a climatologist with Environment Canada.
“As the cold front moves eastward, it will eventually sweep through the Toronto area, so there is a potential to see watches and warnings issued for the GTA as the day progresses,” he said.
Some of these storms are expected to be severe — with large hail, damaging winds, lightening and torrential downpours — and could develop into tornados.
The worst of the storm is not expected to hit southwestern Ontario until this mid-afternoon.
Goderich was hit by an F-3 tornado Sunday evening, killing one man and causing widespread damage.
Environment Canada gave the town a 12 minute warning before the tornado hit.
Severe thunderstorm warnings are typically issued 45 to 90 minutes before it hits, Coulson said. But tornados are harder to detect, so alerts tend to be about 10 to 20 minutes before it touches down, he added.