A major highway, several arterial roads and a major transit hub were flooded in Toronto Tuesday afternoon after torrential rains hit the city. Power outages were also reported in several areas.
Toronto police said part of the Don Valley Expressway, a major ring road in the city, was closed due to flooding caused by torrential rain. They also said part of Lakeshore Boulevard, which runs along Lake Ontario, was flooded and closed.
In the downtown core, flooding was reported at Union Station, a major transit terminus. Subway trains were not stopping at Union, the Toronto Transit Commission said, while several buses and streetcars were detouring from their regular routes through the city due to localized flooding.
Billy Bishop Airport, located on the Toronto Islands just minutes from downtown, said its pedestrian tunnel was closed due to flooding and passengers were being asked to take the ferry to the airport.
Flooding was also disrupting business in many other parts of the Greater Toronto Area, with provincial police warning of flooding on parts of highways and local police urging caution.
In Peel Region, a suburb west of Toronto, police said they have received reports of manhole covers lifting due to the volume of rain. Police urged residents to exercise caution when walking the streets.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has issued a flood warning and says shorelines, rivers and creeks in the GTA should be considered hazardous.
Environment Canada had issued heavy rainfall warnings Tuesday for the Greater Toronto Area and much of southern Ontario as a system of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved through the region.
Meteorologists were warning that parts of the Greater Toronto Area could see up to 125 millimetres of precipitation, with suburban Hamilton likely to get up to 50 millimetres.