How weather and landscape set the stage for Toronto’s latest flood – The Weather Network

Tuesday’s flooding in Toronto, Ont., was rather severe, but it’s too early to say if it will approach or exceed the magnitude of its infamous event in 2013.

On the morning of July 16, Pearson International Airport picked up a whopping 97.8 mm of rain –– more than a month’s worth. The 1991-2020 climate normals for July rainfall in Toronto is 74 mm.

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The flooding impacts in the city and surrounding communities were widespread and considerable. Numerous rivers were breached, with the Don Valley and Humber waterways pushed to very high levels, transit locales such as Union Station were flooded, resulting in closures and delays, and roads became impassable and were shut down.

As well, the extreme rain and flooding prompted closures on the 400-series highways. On top of that, at one point during the storm, there were more than 165,000 Toronto Hydro customers without power.

Key ingredients came together for Toronto’s July 16 flood

Ontario’s summer has already been wet, and it is likely to take a run at one of its wettest on record.

Much of what happened on Tuesday can be attributed to, in large part, the upper-level winds, helping to steer a significant moisture anomaly, via a convective system, towards southern Ontario.