A group of Quebec storm chasers said the damage they are seeing in Gatineau, Que., is as bad as they have seen after deadly storms in the American Midwest.

Nicolas Lessard with the storm chasing group Xtrem Chase Québec has travelled extensively to states such as New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma where tornadoes are more common.

"The tornado that hit Dunrobin in rural west Ottawa and the Gatineau area is comparable to what we have seen in the United States," he said.

"We couldn't go to the Dunrobin area because it was closed, but the pictures we have seen online show it is really devastating."

Gatineau's Mont Bleu neighbourhood took extensive damage in the storm. (Courtesy Nicolas Lessard )

He said this storm was completely different from what is usually seen in this part of Canada.

"For Quebec, even for Ontario that force of a tornado was very impressive," he said.

The U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information says tornadoes as strong as the EF-3 that moved from Dunrobin to Gatineau with winds as strong as 265 km/h are rare and don't usually happen outside of the States.

The general boundaries of 'Tornado Alley' in the central United States, which has a disproportionately high frequency of tornadoes in late spring and early fall. (National Centers for Environmental Information)

'Lives in danger'

Lessard said in American states that are used to tornadoes, people tend to run for cover, but in this storm there was some incredible video taken because people may not have realized how serious the situation was.

"We don't usually see this type of footage, because in the United States when there is a tornado warning they go in shelters, they go in their bathrooms, their basement," he said.

"[Here they] filmed through their windows. They put their lives in danger."

Lessard said the six confirmed tornadoes in the region is an incredible number for the area to have seen in such a short period of time.