TORONTO (AP) — A major highway, several thoroughfares and a major public transit hub were flooded Tuesday in Canada’s largest city after torrential rains battered Toronto, with power outages reported in several areas.
Toronto police said a portion of Don Valley Parkway, which runs from the northern part of the city to downtown, was closed due to flooding. They also said a portion of Lakeshore Boulevard, which runs along Lake Ontario, was flooded and closed.
In the heart of downtown, flooding was reported at Union Station, a major transit terminus. Metro trains were not stopping at Union, the Toronto Transit Commission said, while several transit buses and streetcars were diverted from their normal routes through the city due to localized flooding.
Billy Bishop Airport, located on the Toronto Islands just minutes from downtown, reported that its pedestrian tunnel was closed due to flooding, with passengers having to take a ferry to the airport.
Flooding also disrupted life in many other parts of the Greater Toronto Area. Provincial police warned of flooding on stretches of highways and local police urged caution.
In Peel Region, west of Toronto, police said there were reports of manhole covers lifting due to the amount of rain. Police advised residents to drive carefully.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has issued a flood warning, saying that banks, rivers and streams in the Greater Toronto Area should be considered hazardous.
Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for the Greater Toronto area and much of southern Ontario as a combination of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across the region.
Parts of the Greater Toronto Area were warned to expect as much as 125 millimetres of rain.
