Flooding on DVP as torrential rain hits Toronto area

TORONTO – A major highway, several thoroughfares and a key transit hub were flooded in Toronto on Tuesday afternoon after torrential rain hit the city, while power outages were reported in multiple areas.

Toronto police said part of the Don Valley Parkway, which runs from the north part of the city into the downtown area, was closed due to flooding. They also said part of Lakeshore Boulevard, which runs along Lake Ontario, was flooded and closed.

At the heart of the downtown core, flooding was reported at Union station, a key transit terminus. Subway trains were not stopping at Union, the Toronto Transit Commission said, while several transit buses and streetcars were making detours on their regular routes across the city due to localized flooding.

Billy Bishop Airport, which is located on the Toronto Islands minutes from downtown, said its pedestrian tunnel had been closed due to flooding, with passengers directed to take the ferry over to the airport.

Flooding was also disrupting life in many other parts of the Greater Toronto Area, with the provincial police warning of flooding on parts of highways and local police forces urging caution.

In Peel Region, west of Toronto, police said they had reports of manhole covers lifting due to the volume of rain and were urging residents to use caution when driving.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority issued a flood warning and said that shorelines, rivers and streams in the Greater Toronto Area should be considered dangerous.

Environment Canada had issued rainfall warnings for the Greater Toronto Area and much of southern Ontario as a mix of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across the region.

It had warned that there could be rainfall amounts of up to 125 millimetres for parts of the Greater Toronto Area, and Hamilton could see up to 50 millimetres.

Feature image: Drivers are stranded due to flood waters blocking the Don Valley Parkway following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey