Southwestern Quebec under severe thunderstorm watch, Montreal closes many municipal facilities
City of Montreal advises people to check status of their activities and events
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued several severe thunderstorm watches for southwestern Quebec on Saturday, including Montreal.
As a result, the city has closed many of its facilities and advises people to verify whether their activities have been cancelled or not before heading to a municipal building.
The City of Montreal's website has many tips for residents, including not using camping heaters in case there's a power outage, which might pose a "high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning."
The federal agency recommends that people go indoors when "thunder roars."
Eric Tomlinson, a meteorologist with ECCC, told Radio-Canada that tornado-risk zones are located east of the Richelieu River, in the Eastern Townships.
"Today's atmospheric dynamics and stability mean that thunderstorms could potentially produce a tornado," he said.
With files from Radio-Canada