Environment Canada is warning of possible funnel clouds in the Guelph area today.

In a weather advisory issued just before noon for the Region of Waterloo, Guelph and Wellington County, Environment Canada said “conditions will be favourable for the development of funnel clouds today.”

People across southern Ontario should expect to see scattered thunderstorms this afternoon and in the early evening, some bringing dime-sized hail and wind gusts up to 70 kilometres per hour, as well as frequent lightning.

“Funnel clouds may also make a brief appearance this afternoon in this unseasonably cool and unstable air mass,” the advisory said.

“These types of funnel clouds are generated by weak rotation under rapidly growing clouds or weak thunderstorms,” it said. “This weak rotation is not normally a danger near the ground. However, there is a chance that this rotation could intensify and become a weak landspout tornado.”

People are advised to treat any funnel cloud sighting seriously.

“Should a funnel cloud develop nearby, prepare to take shelter,” the advisory said, adding these clouds usually show up with little or no warning.

The thunderstorms are expected to dissipate this evening it said.

People are asked to continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to ec.cpio-tempetes-ospc-storms.ec@canada.ca or tweet reports using #ONStorm.