Severe wind and rain storm leave thousands without power in Ontario

TORONTO – A line of severe storms swept across southern and eastern Ontario Sunday night, bringing heavy rain and winds gusting to 90-kilometres an hour.

Hydro One says at the height of the storm the power was knocked out to well over 100,000 homes and businesses between Windsor and the Kingston area.

In the Greater Toronto Area some 70,000 customers were left in the dark, and another 24,000 in London, but crews were working through the night to quickly get the lights back on.

The weather system roared into Ontario after punishing the American Midwest with tornadoes and thunderstorms that left at least six dead in Illinois.

In the central Illinois town of Washington, a twister obliterated entire neighbourhoods, flipping vehicles, uprooting trees, and ripping down power lines.

The storms also caused damage in Kentucky, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.