WATERLOO REGION — Strong, gusty winds approaching 80 km/h are expected Thursday morning across Waterloo Region.

Gusts of 90 km/h are possible closer to eastern Lake Ontario and eastern Lake Erie, Environment Canada says. Tree damage and local power outages are possible, the weather agency says.

The windy weather follows a day of heavy rain across southern Ontario.

At the Waterloo Region International Airport, 29.9 millimetres of rain fell. The highest local amount in Waterloo Region was 57 mm at Wellesley — one of the highest rainfall tallies the day in southern Ontario.

The highest was 78 mm at Cobourg, then 73 mm at Scarborough and 66 mm at Welland.

Thursday in Waterloo Region, there's a 60 per cent of showers through the day and overnight, as southwest winds continue. Temperatures are expected to fall from 15 just after midnight, to 6 C by afternoon, then 2 C by Friday morning as winds swing to the northwest and fade to 20 km/h.

Sunny skies and a high of 8 C are forecast for Friday. Saturday, there's a 30 per cent chance of showers under partly cloudy skies, and a high of 9 C, and a low of 7 C.