Ontario storm: Major flooding hits Toronto area, thousands without power

Major flooding hit the Toronto area Tuesday and tens of thousands of people lost power after an intense storm passed through portions of southern Ontario.

Flooding on the Don Valley Parkway saw some partially vehicles submerged in the water, which prompted a closure of a large part of the highway.

Toronto Fire Services (TFS) said in a post on X that two people were rescued from flooding at Bayview Avenue and the DVP, one of whom was inside of their vehicle and the other on a car’s roof.

In a follow up post, firefighters said another 12 people were rescued from flooding at Gerrard Street and the DVP.

“TFS has been responding to an extremely high number of rescues related to flooding and elevator entrapments,” the service said.

Lake Shore Boulevard also flooded, prompting a closure from British Columbia Road to Strachan Avenue.

Flooding was also reported at Toronto’s Union Station.

Water was seen pooling on the floor of a main concourse and stores at the station were closed. Parts of the underground PATH network, which has retail and restaurants and connects to Union, were also closed due to flooding.

The TTC notices page on X was filled with warnings of detours and rerouting due to flooding.

The TTC said the rainfall caused “unprecedented” service impacts, affecting service on subways, buses and streetcars.

GO Transit reported several cancellations and delays out of Union.

Lake Shore in Toronto. <a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/onstorm?src=hash&ref_src=» https:>#onstorm

— Ryan Rocca (@ryan_rocca) <a href=«https://twitter.com/ryan_rocca/status/1813248165853659314?ref_src=» https:>July 16, 2024

In Peel Region, police there said they had reports of “manhole covers lifting due to the volume of rain.”

Southbou