Parts of Canada are grappling with extreme weather conditions - flooding has led to power outages in several areas including Toronto, Mississauga, and North Dumfries Township.
Environment Canada issued multiple weather alerts on Saturday for heavy rainfall and a severe thunderstorm watch .
Toronto is experiencing extremely heavy rain , with rainfall amounts ranging from 100 to 200 mm as of 3:08 p.m. Environment Canada also reports heavy rain, widespread flooding, and power outages in Mississauga. The rain is expected to persist through Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a tornado made landfall south of Kitchener following severe thunderstorms that swept across southwestern Ontario on Saturday.
As the storms raged, several individuals had to be rescued from their vehicles after getting trapped in the floodwaters, and a pedestrian in Mississauga was saved after being stranded at a road crossing, as reported by police and emergency services. Races were canceled at the King's Plate at Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, according to the Toronto Star .
The Waterloo regional police confirmed that a tornado spawned near Ayr, Ontario, about 30 kilometers south of Kitchener, around 11 a.m., in the North Dumfries Township.
David Sills, executive director of the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University, confirmed a tornado touchdown in the Ayr, Ontario, community around 11 a.m. on Saturday.
"The team has been in the area since the afternoon and is currently assessing the width, length, extent of damage and other data," he said. "We rate the tornadoes based on the damage they've caused. We've got trees down in every direction possible. ... This one was on the weak side."
Flooding has resulted in numerous road closures and transit reroutes, primarily affecting Mississauga, Etobicoke, and North York.
Environment Canada anticipates between 100 and 300 mm of rain, which could reach up to 50 mm per hour and is expected to continue into Sunday.
The weather agency also warned that thunderstorms might produce wind gusts of up to 90 km/h and hail the size of nickels.
Mississauga Fire Chief Deryn Rizzi shared a video showing rescue crews saving an individual stranded in a heavily flooded area near Dundas Street and Queen Frederica Drive. "Our firefighters and 911 communication operators did an outstanding job today, keeping our community safe," Rizzi stated.
"Pearson (International Airport) already reported 78 millimeters of rain this morning, so to put it into context, we've got record-breaking rain today in Toronto," Trudy Kidd, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, informed CityNews on Saturday afternoon.
"A typical August at Pearson from 1991 to 2020 sees 68.5 millimeters, meaning we have seen a month's worth of rain in one day."
Most Popular
Comments / 0