Storm slams into southern Ontario, bringing heavy rain and wind to GTA

Intense thunderstorms slammed into the GTA and much of southern Ontario Sunday night, bringing heavy downpours and strong winds that resulted in localized flooding and downed trees.

At the peak of the storms, about 40,000 Hyrdro One customers reported power outages. That number fell dramatically overnight, with just about 5,000 customers without power as of 8 a.m. Monday.

Police in Toronto cautioned residents about fallen trees in various parts of the city and rain caused problems with traffic lights in Durham Region, according to police there.

A severe thunderstorm warning issued by Environment Canada had warned about the possibility of large hail and even tornados in some parts of southern Ontario.

Areas east of the Greater Toronto Area appear to have been hit the hardest by the storm. 

Heavy damage was reported in the area around Highway 7, near the communities of Tweed, Madoc and Marmora, north of Belleville.

Researchers with Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project said they will send teams to those towns after reports of possible tornados touching down.