Toronto was plunged into chaos after a powerful thunderstorm unleashed torrential rain, flooding and damaging winds, leaving tens of thousands without power and disrupting flights at the city’s main airport.
A powerful thunderstorm has battered Canada’s largest city, Toronto, leaving tens of thousands without electricity, flooding major roads and disrupting flights at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The storm struck on Wednesday, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and large hail across the Greater Toronto Area, with tornado watches and warnings issued in some areas.
Toronto Hydro said at least 45,000 customers were without power by 8pm Wednesday, after strong winds brought down trees and power lines across the city.
The heavy rainfall also caused severe flooding, forcing the closure of several roads, including the Don Valley Parkway. Images showed vehicles stranded in floodwaters, with some cars nearly submerged in the city of Vaughan, north of Toronto.
The flooding also affected Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto’s East York community, where the emergency department was impacted by rising water.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the city’s emergency operations centre had been activated since Wednesday morning as crews responded to the damage.
City crews are already out responding to downed power wires, fallen trees, flooding and more,” Chow said in a post on X.
She added that the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) was working to restore subway and bus services affected by flooding, fallen debris and high winds.
The storm also disrupted air travel, with dozens of flights scheduled to depart from Toronto Pearson International Airport delayed or cancelled on Wednesday evening.
Environment and Climate Change Canada later lifted an orange warning for severe thunderstorms across the Greater Toronto Area. However, a yellow alert for heat and severe thunderstorms remained in effect across parts of southwestern Ontario.
