TORONTO — Toronto-area residents mopped up Tuesday after a record-breaking storm and driving wind caused flash floods which set cars afloat, stranded rail commuters and caused widespread power outages in Canada's largest city.
"It is really, probably the most intense, wettest moment in Toronto's history," Environment Canada senior climatologist David Philips said.
Phillips said two separate storm cells moved over the city at the same time, and then stalled over Toronto for hours.
"It's almost like Toronto was a target with a bull's eye," he said.
Pearson International Airport reported 12.6 centimeters (4.96 inches) of rain throughout Monday, breaking the previous single-day rainfall record for the city set back on Oct. 15, 1954, when Hurricane Hazel dumped 121 millimeters (4.76 inches) of rain.
The downpour left several roads and underpasses under water, forcing some people to abandon their vehicles. Subway, bus and streetcar services were either halted or slowed to a crawl, creating chaos during the evening rush hour. Many finally arrived home hours late to deal with flooded basements and leaking windows in residences which had lost power.
In one of the more serious incidents, 1,400 people were stranded on a northbound commuter train as murky water seeped into the cars. It took police and firefighters about seven hours to ferry everyone to dry ground aboard small inflatable boats.
Toronto authorities warned it would take some time for everything to return to normal, but praised city crews for their work.
