Toronto Reopens Major Motorways After Severe Flooding

Major motorways in Toronto have reopened and clean-up efforts are underway following severe storms that caused extensive flooding, stranded drivers, and cut power to nearly 167,000 customers. As of Wednesday morning, around 5,000 customers remain without power. Environment Canada reported that almost 100mm of rain fell on Tuesday, breaking a record set in 1941. The flooding disrupted daily life, inundated cars, and affected major transit hubs, including Union Station. Even pop star Drake’s home was partially submerged.
City manager Paul Johnson highlighted the need to rebuild Toronto’s aging infrastructure to be more flood-resilient, a costly and long-term undertaking. The storms caused significant travel disruptions, with flight cancellations at Billy Bishop Airport and road closures on the Don Valley Parkway and Ontario Highway 410. These roads have since reopened, with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow stating that the city is “almost back to normal.” Authorities conducted multiple rescues, including one individual from a car roof, and the fire service responded to over a thousand calls from people trapped in lifts due to power outages.
Meteorologists attributed the record rainfall to three consecutive storms, with some areas receiving “hurricane amounts of water.” The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority warned that the city’s numerous rivers and streams make it particularly vulnerable to flooding. This event echoes a similarly devastating storm in 2013, which left 300,000 people without power and required the rescue of over 1,000 train passengers.