There are unconfirmed reports of a tornado touching down in the south end of Barrie today.
There is a swath of damage in the Mapleview Drive area - especially near Prince William Way.
Tornado in barrie today #Tornado pic.twitter.com/fjC8jhHFq3
— Rylan Moulton (@moulton_rylan) July 15, 2021
There are unconfirmed reports of damage to commercial businesses and, possibly, people trapped inside their homes.
On social media, people have said the situation was "terrifying" and one person reported that people inside the Holly Recreation Centre were ordered to hide in the changerooms.
Amateur weather watcher David Brain is chasing the storm, which he said was "very powerful." While it will take time to determine what happened, Brain estimates it could be an EF 2 tornado with winds that whipped through the area at possibly 200 kilometres an hour.
He said there were two large cells that came together to create what appears to be a tornado.
"There are roofs ripped off houses, I'm hearing there are people trapped inside ... it's a mess," Brain said.
BarrieToday has reporters on the way to the scene and will have more information when it's available.
