Ottawa·Photos

The Barrhaven tornado in pictures

Residents of Ottawa's Barrhaven suburb got little warning before the sky darkened and a tornado touched down early Thursday afternoon, damaging homes and downing trees.

No reports of serious injuries

A woman sits outside her home with a damaged roof after a summer storm.
Helen Feltham, 82, sits outside her homes after it was damaged by a tornado in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Residents of Ottawa's Barrhaven suburb got little warning before the sky darkened and a tornado touched down early Thursday afternoon, damaging homes and downing trees. Luckily, there were no reports of serious injuries.

Here's a look at the aftermath.

A man drags tree debris along a sidewalk.
A man drags debris from a fallen tree along a sidewalk on Exeter Drive on July 13, 2023, after a tornado passed through the neighbourhood. (Brian Morris/CBC)
Household debris in a common yard between homes after a windstorm.
Debris litters backyards after a tornado touched down in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Nicole Williams/CBC)
Someone looks out the window of a home with a damaged roof.
A man peers out a window of a damaged home after a tornado touched down in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Drone footage taken by CBC offers a wider view of the roof damage to some homes.
Drone footage taken by CBC offers a wider view of the roof damage to some homes. (CBC)
A dented car on a driveway with a piece of broken wood next to it.
A damaged car is surrounded by debris after a tornado struck the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Celeste Decaire/CBC)
People stand outside a row of homes with hail and debris outside of it after a storm.
People stand outside damaged homes following a tornado in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

First responders were quickly on the scene, checking on residents and looking for potential gas leaks.

3 firefighters walk down a street damaged by a tornado.
Ottawa firefighters pass damaged homes following a tornado in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Tangled metal sits on a residential street as a police officer crosses it after a storm.
An Ottawa police officer walks past debris in the street after a tornado damaged homes in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
A firefighter marks a building in chalk.
Emergency crews mark homes where the hydro and gas have been turned off following a tornado in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
An apartment with a damaged roof by wind. A fire truck is parked on the street.
Homes left damaged following a tornado in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Fire crews are pictured on a street after at least one tornado has hit the community of Barrhaven, about 20 kilometres south of the city core in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday, July 13, 2023.
Fire officials respond after a tornado struck the south Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Celeste Decaire/CBC)

Photos and videos show at least one funnel cloud appearing to touch down in Barrhaven shortly after 1 p.m.

A thin funnel cloud over a suburb in summer.
A funnel cloud in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (The Canadian Press)
A tornado behind a building.
Environment Canada confirms that a tornado touched down in Barrhaven on July 13, 2023. (Stephan Kolotylo)
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe with resident affected by July 13 2023 tornado
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe talks with a resident in front of some downed trees. (Mark Sutcliffe/Twitter)