Heavy rainfall in Toronto Thursday afternoon caused some localized flooding and shut down a number of area roads.
The city was under a special weather statement, followed by a rainfall warning by Environment Canada earlier in the day. Both statements ended just after noon.
Flood warning cancelled
Around 12:15 p.m., the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority issued a flood watch for the potential of flooding near rivers and streams. Before 3 p.m., it was upgraded to a flood warning.
According to the statement, the Greater Toronto Area had already received 20 to 40 mm of rain from the fast moving weather system. An extra 20 mm of rainfall was possible as the system tapered off throughout the afternoon.
“Due to high soil moisture content in the region and the forecasted rainfall amount, all rivers within the GTA will be experiencing higher flows and water levels, resulting in hazardous conditions,” the TCRA said.
The flood warning was cancelled around 5 p.m., with a water safety statement issued instead.
Road closures
Toronto police were notifying drivers of road closures caused by flooding on their Twitter account.
- At 12:15 p.m., one lane of the southbound Don Valley Parkway was closed at Don Mills Road.
- At 3:15 p.m., one southbound lane on the Bayview Extension and northbound ramp to Bayview Avenue was shut down due to flooding. The ramp reopened at 4:40 p.m. and Bayview Avenue at Pottery Road reopened at 4:40 p.m.
- At 3:20 p.m., the Don Valley Parkway northbound off ramp to Bayview Avenue northbound was closed off. It reopened at 4:40 p.m.
- At 3:27 p.m., lane 3 of the southbound Don Valley Parkway near Gerrard Avenue was closed by police.
- At 4 p.m., the city closed Bayview Avenue from River Street to Lawren Harris Square due to flooding. The section of Bayview Avenue was cleared at 5:50 p.m. River Street from Gerrard Street East to Bayview Avenue was reopened at 4:50 p.m.
- At 4 p.m., the city closed Rosedale Valley Road from Park Road to Bayview Avenue. The area was cleared at 4:40 p.m.
- At 4:20 p.m., the northbound and southbound ramps from the Don Valley Parkway to Bayview Avenue were closed by the city. At 4:40 p.m., the off ramps had reopened.
GO Transit service affected
The Richmond Hill line saw some service adjustments Thursday afternoon to ensure the trains would stay above water, a Metrolinx spokesperson said.
The lower part of the line was closed around 2:30 p.m. between Oriole and Old Cummer stations.
The tracks reopened at 4:45 p.m. with regular service starting to union at 5 p.m. Commuters experienced some delays with service back on track before 6 p.m.