Toronto flooding: Pictures, videos show heavy rainfall today in downtown core

Toronto is getting pounded by torrential rain Tuesday afternoon and pictures and video are showing the extent of the flooding in the city’s downtown core.

Video taken at Union Station shows people wading through ankle-high water at the major transit hub. Outside the station, water is seen cascading down the steps at one entrance.

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At nearby Brookfield Place, water is surging from a sewer drain as at least one person was spotted braving their way through the overflow.

On Simcoe Street, a car that was caught under an overpass appeared to be submerged in water as a City of Toronto vehicle blocked off access to the roadway.

A car is submerged in water under the Simcoe Street overpass in Toronto on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.

Video posted to social media from Lake Shore Boulevard shows some cars at a standstill as water rushes onto the major downtown expressway. Similarly, on the Don Valley Parkway, a rush of water is seen flowing along the Don River.

City officials said that both sections of both highways are closed as a result of the flooding.

Toronto was under an hours-long rainfall warning Tuesday and Environment Canada said it was expecting up to 125 millimetres of rain. The warning has since lifted, but a chance of showers and thunderstorms persists into the evening.

The rainfall also caused a widespread power outage in the city’s west end and nearly 170,000 customers are without electricity. It’s unclear when power will be restored.

This is a developing story. More to come.