Toronto Storm Leaves 45,000 Without Power as Floods Paralyse City

(Cars Stranded on The Flooded Area. Photo by Al Jazeera)

A fierce thunderstorm battered Toronto on Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands without power and disrupting the city's normal operations.

The tempest delivered heavy rain, powerful winds and hailstones that damaged structures, knocked down trees and flooded roads across Canada's biggest city.

About 45,000 people lost electricity by evening, with Toronto Hydro scrambling to restore service.

The Don Valley Parkway, a major highway, had to close because of flooding and debris. The Michael Garron Hospital's emergency ward was also hit by flooding from the deluge.

In Vaughan, a suburb north of Toronto, photos showed vehicles nearly buried under floodwater.

The city activated its emergency operations centre by morning, with crews deployed to clear fallen trees, repair downed power lines and manage widespread flooding.

The transit system that runs the city's subways and buses worked to clear debris and restore routes disrupted by the storm.

At Toronto Pearson airport, dozens of evening flights were delayed or scrapped.

Environment officials had issued an orange alert for the severe thunderstorm but later scaled it back to a yellow warning for parts of southwestern Ontario, though the risk of further storms remained.

 

#IGR: Severe storms brought flooding and hail to Toronto on Wednesday, with footage showing floodwater covering roads and inundating a bus. The footage also showed hail falling across the Canadian city as vehicles moved through streets hit by heavy rain and strong winds. pic.twitter.com/Z1eYUuQ75M

— India Global Review (@IGR_Media) September 3, 2026