PHOTOS: Large hail and 'serious winds' batter parts of Ontario, Quebec

Strong storms led weather alerts across Ontario and Quebec, with lightning-filled skies and fast-moving cells generating dramatic scenes across both provinces Thursday

Power outages, downed trees and reports of large hail followed severe thunderstorms that swept across Ontario and Quebec on Thursday.

A surge of heat, humidity and an approaching cold front fuelled Thursday's storms, which began in northeastern Ontario before tracking east into Quebec.

Mark Robinson - Shelf Cloud - Point Clark Ontario - July 24

Shelf cloud near Point Clark, Ont. - July, 24, 2025 | Mark Robinson

Ontario: Large hail and damaging winds

Storms fired up along the shores of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, reaching into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and parts of eastern Ontario.

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Some communities reported flooding, large hail and wind gusts over 90 km/h. Severe thunderstorm warnings continued into the late evening hours before finally dropping around midnight.

Quebec: Downed trees and power outages

In Quebec, storms lasted through the overnight hours, with thunder, powerful winds and heavy rain continuing into early Friday.

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Thursday's storms resulted in nearly 50,000 power outages, and downed trees in the Upper Laurentians.

These photos capture the dramatic scenes as the storms moved through.

Scenes in Ontario:

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Scenes in Quebec

Quebec, Hail, Storm, Thunderstorm, Rain, July 24, 2025. (Sent to MM by Jean-Philippe Thisdale)

Photo: Jean-Philippe Thisdale, Ferme-Neuve, Que., July 24, 2025

Hail, Storm, Rain, Thunderstorm, Trees, Fall, July 24, 2025. (Sent to MeteoMedia by Miguel Hatin)

Photo: Miguel Hatin, Chute-Saint-Philippe, Que., July 24, 2025

Cloud, Tornado, Thunderstorm, Storm, Quebec, July 24, 2025. (Sent to MeteoMedia by Sylvain Vézina)

Photo: Sylvain Vézina, Ferme-Neuve, Que., July 24, 2025

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Clouds, Quebec, Thunderstorm, Storm, Rain, July 24, 2025/ (Sent to MeteoMedia by Chantal Renaud)

Photo: Chantal Renaud, Gatineau, Que., July 24, 2025

House, Quebec, Storm, Destroyed, Wind, July 24, 2025. (Sent to MeteoMedia by Simon Therrien)

Photo: Simon Therrien, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que., July 24, 2025

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Hail, Big, Ice, Quebec, Storm, Tornado, Thunderstorm, July 24, 2025. (Sent to MeteoMedia by Melissa Pelletier)

Photo: Melissa Pelletier, Ferme-Neuve, Que., July 24, 2025

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Stay weather ready. Keep an emergency kit on hand and follow local alerts during severe weather.

Thumbnail courtesy of @odawg1019/X.