The remnants of tropical storm Debby made landfall in eastern Canada, where parts of Quebec and Ontario were drenched by heavy rain Friday.
Environment Canada issued a swath of warnings for the two provinces with upwards of 100 millimetres of rain expected in some areas.
A low pressure system is passing through Southern Ontario and Quebec with alerts in effect from Cornwall, Ont., through to Quebec City about the risk of flash flooding. Minor landslides are also a possibility in some areas, according to the weather agency.
Environment Canada said “significant rainfall amounts” had already fallen by 10 a.m. in southern Quebec, after its forecasts had already been revised upwards. By that time, parts of the greater Montreal area had already received up to 80 millimetres of rain — with that potentially rising to as much as 120 millimetres by the end of the day.
In the afternoon, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante asked people to plan ahead and prepare for heavy traffic in areas with flooded roads. The city’s crews were on the ground to respond to incidents and help ensure safe travel.
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Some municipal buildings were also forced to close, she added.
“Emergency services are monitoring the situation closely,” Plante wrote on social media.
In Montreal, flooding hit some roads as early as the morning rush hour. Quebec’s Transport Ministry warned parts of major streets and off-ramps were temporarily off limits to drivers in the city, including sections of highways 40 and 19.
The torrential rain also caused damage to an on-ramp at the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, a major span connecting the city with its south shore.
In its revised warning for Montreal, Environment Canada said to “avoid driving through water on roads. Even shallow, fast-moving water across a road can sweep a vehicle or a person away.”
Those who must drive should be careful, according to Quebec’s Transport Ministry.
“Make sure you’re slowing down, more space in front of you, make sure you’re visible,” said ministry spokesperson Louis-André Bertrand. “It’s basically the same advice we give during a snowstorm.”
The relentless rain didn’t just cause slowdowns on the road. Some flight delays and cancellations were reported at airports in both Montreal and Quebec City.
It also forced the closure of some attractions in the province, including Montreal’s La Ronde amusement park and the Granby Zoo, east of Montreal. The opening events scheduled for the International de montgolfières, a hot-air balloon festival in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, southeast of Montreal, were also postponed until Monday.
In eastern Ontario, Debby’s last gasps could dump as much as 120 millimetres of rain on Ottawa, Cornwall and Kingston. In Toronto, between 25 and 50 millimetres of rain was expected to fall through the morning and early afternoon.
The downpour should taper off from west to east later in the day, the agency said.
Meanwhile, Toronto was spared the worst of the storm as advisories were lifted by the early afternoon.
The wet weather is expected to reach New Brunswick Friday night and bring up to 40 millimetres of rain through Saturday morning.
— with files from Global’s Matilda Cerone and The Canadian Press
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