On Tuesday, thunderstorms unleashed torrential rainfall in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, causing flash flooding that left a trail of destruction. The deluge stranded residents, submerged roads, and knocked out power for nearly 170,000 customers.
According to local officials, more than 100 millimeters (about four inches) of rain pummeled parts of Toronto on Tuesday, an amount equivalent to the city’s average July rainfall. Toronto Pearson Airport reported a staggering 97.4 millimeters of rain in just 3.5 hours.
The Toronto Fire Service sprang into action, rescuing over 20 individuals from vehicles and buildings. They received almost 1,700 calls for assistance and tended to more than 500 incidents between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. that day. The city also grappled with widespread power outages affecting 167,000 customers, while major roads and freeways were forced to close.
Among those impacted was the renowned rapper Drake, who shared a video on Instagram showing his upscale Bridle Path residence inundated with ankle-deep murky water. The situation in other parts of the city was equally dire, with images circulating on social media depicting submerged cars, emergency responders navigating flooded streets in boats, and water cascading down subway entrances.
During a news conference, Mayor Olivia Chow revealed that sections of Toronto City Hall had succumbed to the deluge. She emphasized the urgent need to address climate change, noting that the frequency of such extreme weather events is projected to rise significantly in the years ahead.
Chow remarked, “We really seriously have to deal with climate change because these kinds of days are going to be a lot more frequent.”
