Morning Briefing: Four things you need to know

Saturday, June 21, 2014, 7:49 AM - June 21 marks the solstice, the "official" start of summer.

Given how long the winter was and how slowly the spring got going, most people will be happy to see the sun rise on a new season Saturday morning, but it's not going to be all sunshine everywhere in Canada.

Atlantic Canada

Newfoundland will see showers through the day Saturday, and an overcast day looms in the Maritimes, with a chance of showers in parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Sunday will bring a risk of isolated thunderstorm to parts of those two provinces.

Luckily, the rainy weather should be accompanies by temperatures that will slowly warm up through the weekend into next week.

Tornado warning in Ontario

Severe weather stretched into northern Ontario Friday night, Environment Canada said one of those severe thunderstorms appeared to be producing a tornado, sparking a tornado warning, for the Kenora, Grassy Narrows and Whitedog area at 10:26 p.m.

"The thunderstorm is located near Reddit and is moving northeast at 25 km/h," the agency said in the warning as it was issued.

The agency has not confirmed whether a tornado did occur there, but the storms were severe enough to produce nickel to quarter-sized hail. There is more thunderstorm risk in parts of the region Saturday, with warm, humid temperatures expected through the Fort Francis area.

In southern Ontario, Environment Canada confirmed a second tornado was spawned by the widespread outbreak of severe weather on Tuesday, in the Stroud area between Barrie and Innisfill. 

The first, rated EF-2, damaged several homes in the community of Angus.

The number of confirmed tornadoes in Ontario now sits at four.

There's better weather news in the forecast for southern Ontario Saturday, according to Weather Network meteorologist Kelly Sonnenburg.

"Southern Ontario is looking at another seasonal and fair day," she said Saturday morning. "Looks like the next round of rain for the GTA is not until Tuesday afternoon."

Prairie provinces

Isolated thunderstorms rumbled through Alberta and Saskatchewan Friday. Several weak funnel clouds and cold core funnels were reported in the region, as were heavy downpours, gusty winds and small hail.

"The low that brought the heavy rain to southern Alberta is slowly departing Saskatchewan and Manitoba," Sonnenburg says. "It brings the risk fo isolated severe thunderstorms this afternoon through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the highest risk in southern Manitoba.

There will also be a risk of thunderstorms on Sunday in Alberta in Saskatchewan and along the Alberta foothills.

Forecasters also expect lingering showers through Alberta due to a trailing trough that develops.

British Columbia

Moisture is continuing to feed the B.C. coast, but ridging will push the rain north, missing Vancouver and the southern coast.

Saturday evening, wind gusts will pick up, possibly exceeding 100 km/h along the coast of Haida Gwaii with an incoming low.

Vancouver has a fair forecast for the weekend into the next week.

With files from Kelly Sonnenburg.

FEATURE VIDEO: See the tornado that touched down in Angus, Ont.