Record-breaking freak Toronto storm drops 123mm of rain, causing blackouts, flooding and transit chaos

National Post Staff | 13/07/08 | Last Updated: 13/07/08 10:42 PM ET

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn People wade through flood water on Lakeshore West during a storm in Toronto on Monday, July 8, 2013.

• An unofficial number out of Pearson as of 10:15 p.m. put the total number at 123 mm, a single-day record. The previous single-day record is 121.4 mm set in 1954 during Hurricane Hazel. 
• Most Toronto subways stopped, shuttle busses in service for all areas except Scarborough RT, which is operating
• 300,000 people without power, most of downtown affected. Intermittent power returning.
• A flood warning has been issued for Toronto rivers. 
• The DVP is shut down from the Gardiner to Bloor. Police warn drivers to steer clear of parts of Highways 427, 401 and 27, all due to flooding
• All flights out of the City Centre Airport have been cancelled. The building is flooded
• Pearson’s website is down due to flooded servers. The airport suggests you contact your air carrier to see if your flight it cancelled. Many flights have been cancelled or delayed

Toronto was hit with heavy rains, flooding and power outages Monday afternoon as a sudden storm drenched the city and brought transit to a standstill.

Unofficial reports out of Pearson from Global News and CP24 at 10 p.m. put the total number at 123 mm, a single-day record for Toronto. As of 8 p.m., Pearson Airport had seen 106 mm, while downtown Toronto saw 91 mm and Toronto Island had 81 mm. The previous single-day record for rainfall was set at 121.4 mm in 1954.

Meteorologist Dave Rodgers said “the worst has already fallen” but another expected downpour northwest of the city will bring another 20 to 30 mm in “the next couple of hours.”

The flooding shut down the Don Valley Parkway, the city’s main north-south artery into downtown, and left commuters stranded in dark subway tunnels.

The TTC struggled to get people home on its 1,800 buses and 250 streetcars.
Toronto Police said a flood watch is in effect, telling residents to stay off the roads and away from bodies of water that can quickly become fast moving.

Mayor Rob Ford has said that people should stay home if possible and that more rain is coming.

Peter J. Thompson / National Post A pedestrian makes her way across Eastern Avenue during a downpour of rain in Toronto, Monday July 8, 2013. 

 

“The big unknown is when we get the power back in the stations,” Andy Byford, chief executive of the TTC, said at about 6 p.m. Monday. “Our bus fleet is fully stretched at the moment. We will keep everyone safe, we will get everyone home, but it will take a long time before we get everything working again.”

By 7:30 p.m. the TTC had restored service on some subway routes but not on the main subway line from Union Station.

More than 60 people waited for a shuttle bus on Yonge street, near the subway station. Each bus that arrived was completely full, all seats and standing room taken. Buses emptied out once they arrived at the subway entrance. People shuffled inside to catch their next form of transportation.

A woman named Jackie was waiting for a bus at Bloor-Yonge. She said it took her three hours to get from Front street, where she works at a bank.

She initially tried waiting for a subway, then a cab, and finally got on a shuttle bus. Jackie somehow managed to keep her designer hand bag and wavy hair dry throughout the ordeal. Her final destination was Yonge and Finch station, she said.

Peter J. Thompson/National PostA Peel police officer directs traffic in a powerless Mississauga at Dixie and Burnhamthorpe Road due to heavy rains, Monday July 8, 2013.

 

Large parts of the city lost electrical power, including the CBC headquarters on King Street. By 7 p.m., Toronto Hydro was estimating about 300,000 customers were experiencing outages across the city.

A spokesperson said Toronto Hydro staff would be working through the night to restore power.
Further west along King, abandoned passenger cars — whose air bags had apparently deployed — floated in a section of the street that drops under a railway trestle bridge.

The flooding stranded cars on highways and roadways, and the force of the flood water coursing through the sewers blew the lids off manholes on downtown streets.

The banks of the Don River are at risk of collapse in the Hoggs Hollow area, near Yonge Street and York Mills, according to the Toronto Region Conservation Authority.

The Don Valley Parkway has been partly closed while provincial police warn drivers to steer clear of parts of Highways 427, 401 and 27, all due to flooding.

Michelle Siu for National PostA second vehicle is stuck in flood waters after a massive downpour floods the underpass at Dupont Avenue and Shaw Street in Toronto on Monday, July 8, 2013.

 

At the Bloor Yonge subway station, TTC officials smiled despite the hot, humid station and the heavy flow of confused public transit users. They directed customers on how to reach their final destination and calmly advised people to “relax” or to “go have a drink” once they got home.

Dena Givari, 23, and Spencer O’Brien, 25, were two of the many TTC customers who walked into the station soaking wet. Towing a suitcase, the two were in summer clothes and had just returned from Sauble Beach.

Earlier in the afternoon, they were at Union Station, at track level, about to get on the subway. Then they saw water on the Yonge tracks and then they heard an announcement: “evacuate Union Station right now.”

“Everyone was rushing out of there. It was bad,” said Ms. Givari, adding that people were still trying to get down to track level during the evacuation.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Winston NeutelA GO Train is stranded on flooded tracks in Toronto on Monday, July 8, 2013. 

 

A GO train on the Richmond Hill line is flooded with water starting to reach the second level. A marine unit is helping to rescue the passengers. Some people have gotten off the train, but a few remain.

Michelle Siu for National PostCars re-route after a massive downpour floods the underpass at Dupont Avenue and Shaw Street in Toronto on Monday, July 8, 2013.

 

In June of last year, Union Station was flooded with a cross between rainwater and sewage following an intense summer storm. The foul water spilled onto the train tracks, causing hours-long delays.
All flights out of the City Centre Airport have been cancelled. The building is flooded.

Ford pleaded with residents to stay home.
“I just want to ensure people that we have everything under control,” the mayor said. He blamed the flooding on years of overspending on frivolous projects and lack of attention to rebuilding the city’s infrastructure.

“We have to put a lot of money into the taxpayers’ reserve,” the mayor said. “For years and years and years it has been neglected.”

As for homeowners, he said, “Call your insurance company. You gotta take notes, video it.”
The heavy downpours were also expected to hit Waterloo, Owen Sound, Barrie, Kingston and Peterborough.