FOG BLOG CANADA LOG: TORNADO TOUCHES DOWN IN BARRHAVEN ON. SOUTH OF OTTAWA!

City to give update on Barrhaven tornado at 4:30 p.m. ET No reports of serious injuries, family reunification centre set up Environment Canada has confirmed at least one tornado touched down in the south Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven early Thursday afternoon.

Numerous witnesses have told CBC they saw at least one tornado in the area, and several have provided photos and videos of funnel clouds and swirling debris. At least one video clearly shows a tornado making contact with the ground.

Researchers with the Northern Tornadoes Project were scheduled to arrive in Ottawa on Friday to investigate further.

Ottawa Fire Services said around 1 p.m. it had received reports of a tornado around Umbra Place, just east of Highway 416. Ottawa police indicated they'd had similar reports. Katie Gies was in her home in Barrhaven's Half Moon Bay neighbourhood at about 12:45 p.m. ET when she saw debris swirling through the air outside her window.

At this point, an emergency alert had not yet been broadcast on her phone. She started recording but didn't think much of it. There wasn't much noise and the clouds rolling past seemed normal.

"And then I saw a cloud funnel form, and it started to rip the roofing off of my neighbour's house down the street. I grabbed my dog, took him to the laundry room and we've been sheltering there since," she told CBC by phone.