Don Valley Parkway cleanup will take hours after heavy flooding in Toronto, city says

A weather system that brought record-breaking rainfall to Toronto and neighbouring areas may have passed, but residents are left dealing with the aftermath as highways and roads remain flooded, hundreds of thousands are still without power, and public transit services are impacted.

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Officials have not given specific times when roads will reopen and power will return. Environment Canada said nearly 100 millimetres of rain fell in Toronto within three hours, more than the July precipitation average of 71.6 millimetres.

IN PHOTOS: Massive flooding as storm hits the GTA

Here are the latest updates as the cleanup is underway in Toronto:

8:00 p.m.

Toronto Hydro says about 50,000 customers are still in the dark as crews continue to restore power to all residents. It has not provided a specific time when

The outage is believed to have been caused by flooding at a Hydro One transmission station. At the peak of the outage, there were 167,000 without power.

Hydro One says it has made progress in restoring power to Toronto Hydro, but one station that feeds the west end continues to be affected. The utility company urged customers with electricity to conserve where possible to reduce strain on the system.

7:35 p.m.

A rainfall warning is in effect for Hamilton as another round of thunderstorms is expected to arrive.

Environment Canada says 30 to 50 millimetres of rain are possible for a few locations. The impacted locations also include Brantford, Norwich, Ancaster, Dundas, Caledonia, Scotland, Waterford, Ohsweken and Hagersville.

A severe thunderstorm warning issued earlier this evening has been lifted, but a severe thunderstorm watch remains.

7 p.m.

Cleanup is underway at Union Station after it was flooded earlier today. Crews are seen with brooms, mops, and a pump to remove the water.

Metrolinx says delays, modifications, and cancellations are expected during the evening commute. The downtown transit hub also suffered a power outage earlier, further impacting operations. Many commuters were left waiting for trains for hours.

Meanwhile, TTC subway trains on Line 1 continue to bypass Union Station.

6:55 p.m.

Toronto Fire says over 20 people were rescued from cars and buildings after responding to almost 500 weather-related incidents between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. Of those, more than 50 were elevator rescue and water calls.

Toronto Fire says its communications staff received nearly 1,700 calls for service.

6:45 p.m.

Lake Shore Boulevard between British Columbia Road and Strachan Avenue have reopened in both directions. The road was closed for much of the day due to flooding.

6:25 p.m.

Newstalk 1010 morning anchor Stuart McGinn was one of the people stranded on the DVP due to the flood. “It quickly became a drive that you knew was going to be much longer,” McGinn recounted in an interview with CP24.

The radio anchor says he was driving home from work and was on the DVP southbound when he got caught in the “worst-case scenario.” McGinn says he was already past Bayview-Bloor when police started directing drivers off the DVP from that exit.

“I ended up just in that piece of highway between the flooded water and Bayview-Bloor, waiting,” he said. McGinn had to sit in his car for an hour before police came and told drivers to reverse back out.

“Thankfully, I got home. It just took about three hours to get downtown.”

6 p.m.

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Hamilton.

The federal agency says meteorologists are tracking a severe thunderstorm near St. George that can produce very strong wind gusts.

“Hail and locally heavy rain are also possible,” Environment Canada says.

5:45 p.m.

Onlookers are gathering along DVP overpasses at Dundas and Gerarrd streets to have a look and snap photos of the flooded highway below. It's unclear at this point exactly when the Don Valley Parkway will reopen.

Onlookers stand on the Gerrard Street overpass check out the flooded DVP below on July 16. (Peter Bryan/ photo)

5:35 p.m.

Toronto Hydro says that one power station in Toronto’s west end continues to experience flooding and that crews are on site pumping out water. Toronto Hydro has issued a widespread outage alert as a result of a loss of supply from Hydro One. It is urging residents to reduce their electric usage to reduce the strain on the system. No timeline has been provided for the full restoration of power.

5:10 p.m.

The city says the westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard between British Columbia and Strachan Avenue have reopened, but the eastbound lanes remain closed due to flooding.

5:05 p.m.

About 105,000 customers remain without power after a Hydro One transmission station was flooded and resulted in loss of power supply.

Toronto Hydro says it cannot provide specific restoration times “due to the nature of the station,” noting that the times displayed on its outage map are preliminary.

“Please know that we are continuing to work closely with Hydro One to resolve the issue and restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” Toronto Hydro said in an update after 5 P.M.

At the peak of the outage, about 167,000 customers were impacted.

5 p.m.

Toronto Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop said there have been over 500 incidents called into Toronto Fire Services since 6:30 a.m., and no fatalities reported.

At the height of the storm, between 70 to 100 calls were coming in per hour, he said.

Jessop said crews are just clearing the backlog of emergency calls as they prepare for another possible rainfall in the evening, and that 12 people were rescued from the flooding. 

4:30 p.m.

Toronto City Manager Paul Johnson said it will take at least three to four hours to clean the debris on the Don Valley Parkway, once water is cleared from the roadway.

However, if there is significant damage to the roadway, it could take longer, Johnson said.

Mayor Olivia Chow acknowledged a higher than normal volume of 311 calls, with 650 coming in on Tuesday, mostly for basement flooding issues.

3:15 p.m.

Hydro One is reporting a widespread outage of approximately 123,000 customers without power. This widespread outage comes in addition to the 167,000 people without power Toronto Hydro previously reported. 

Cars are partially submerged in flood waters in the Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

3 p.m.

Toronto Fire Services said it rescued 14 people in Toronto on Tuesday.

Of those rescued, 12 were caught before flooding further down the Don Valley Parkway at Gerrard Street, Toronto Fire Services reports.

Two more individuals were rescued at Bayview Ave and Don Valley Parkway – one was inside their vehicle while another was on their car’s roof, according to emergency crews. 

Drivers stranded due to flood waters blocking the Don Valley Parkway are rescued by fire crews following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

2:45 p.m.

The torrential downpour which struck Toronto Tuesday dumped more rain by 2 p.m. than the city typically sees in the entire month of July.

Speaking with CP24, Environment Canada Senior Climatologist Dave Phillips said that while the city might typically see one or two thunderstorms with heavy rain in a month, Tuesday brought three in quick succession.

The first arrived around 8:45 a.m. and it was followed by two more, for a total of three over three hours.

In terms of intensity, Phillips said at one point Toronto saw 30 millimetres of rain over about 30 minutes.

"That is something you'd see in a hurricane," he said.

The intense rain also reduced visibility "like a blizzard," he added.

"We had 25 per cent more rain in three hours than we'd have normally in the whole month of July with all the thunderstorms and systems that moved through," Phillips said.

2:30 p.m.

Within less than four hours, 96 mm of rain poured down between 8:43 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. at Toronto Pearson International Airport, according to Environment Canada data. Of the grand total, 63 mm fell between the latter two hours.

In Toronto’s city centre, the national weather agency reported 87 mm of rain between 9 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Within just one hour, between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., almost 44 mm of rain fell.  

Two trucks are shown surrounded by flood waters on the Don Valley Parkway in this aerial image. (CP24)

2 p.m.

A Peel paramedic posted a video of a storm drain with an “unbelievable amount of water” at Mississauga Road and Dundas Street, near the University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus.

“Please please please stay away from any area that water flows,” the post reads.

1:45 p.m. 

Mayor Olivia Chow spoke to reporters about the flooding across Toronto this afternoon, confirming that city hall is among the buildings seeing leaks amid the heavy rainfall.

When asked whether the city will review why some roadways, including the Don Valley Parkway, were not closed earlier, Chow responded, “Of course.”

“Anytime there is an emergency, we need to review whether we’ve done everything we can both on the prevention side and the support side when the crisis happens,” she told reporters. 

A tow truck operator responds to submerged vehicles at an underpass at Parkside Drive and Lake Shore Blvd., after heavy rain caused flooding, in Toronto on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

1:40 p.m.

The rainfall warning that had been in effect for the City of Toronto has now been lifted.

1:30 p.m.

Toronto Hydro says that there are approximately 165,000 customers without power in the city.

This aerial image shows vehicles that were abandoned on the Don Valley Parkway amid flooding on July 16. (CP24)

1 p.m. 

Toronto Hydro is reporting "widespread" outages across the city due to a loss of supply. The utility company says it is working with Hydro One to restore power but they could not provide an estimated time of restoration. 

Emergency services respond to submerged vehicles at an underpass at Parkside Drive and Lake Shore Blvd., after heavy rain caused flooding, in Toronto on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

12:50 p.m. 

Toronto Fire Deputy Chief Jim Jessop says they are seeing triple the call volumes than normal due to flooding caused by the summer storm.

12:45 p.m.

Flooding has been reported inside Union Station. Video provided to CP24 shows water pooling in a corridor leading to the York Street GO concourse.

Flooding is shown inside Union Station on July 16. (submitted)

12:35 p.m.

Police say that the southbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway are all blocked from Bayview Avenue to the Gardiner Expressway due to flooding.

Police also say that Bayview Avenue has been closed in both directions from River Street to just north of Queen Street due to flooding.

12:30 p.m.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has issued a flood outlook due to the heavy rain. They are warning that local ponding or pooling of water in low-lying areas is likely, especially in areas with poor drainage.

“All shorelines, rivers and streams within the GTA should be considered dangerous as this rainfall will result in higher flows and rapidly changing water levels,” the flood watch notes.

12:15 p.m.

Peel Regional Police say that numerous roads have flooded, particularly under overpassed and in low-lying areas. Meanwhile, in York Region, police say are urging residents to avoid the following areas due to flooding:

Pine Valley Drive and Embassy Drive Victoria Park Avenue and Steeles Avenue Woodbine Avenue and Denison Street Steeles Avenue and Highway 404 11:30 a.m.

The TTC says that trains are currently bypassing both St. Patrick and Pape stations due to the flooding.

11:20 a.m.

Ontario Provincial Police say that they have already received reports of “multiple locations” where highways have flooded due to the heavy rain. They are urging drivers to slow down and heed the conditions.

10 a.m.

Footage from CP24’s cameras shows that water is ponding on a portion of eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard near Ontario Place, snarling traffic in the area.

Water is shown pooling on Lake shore Boulevard as heavy rain fell on the city on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (CP24)