Cleanup continues after thunderstorm wreaks havoc across Toronto

A torrential downpour accompanied by strong winds pummelled parts of the city, causing numerous downed trees and power outages along with major flooding. While it did not last long, Ginella Massa tells us Mother Nature's fury left her mark.

By News staff

The cleanup continues after a severe thunderstorm caused flooding and power outages across the north and west ends of the city over a two-hour period on Wednesday afternoon.

A tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning were in effect, but both have since ended.

Toronto Fire said they dealt with hundreds of active calls, almost all of them related to the damage caused by the weather or flooding.

They were asking people to please be careful on the roads and on the ground, and to stay away from live wires.

Police reported several areas in the north end of the city are flooding, including near Keele Street and Lawrence Avenue where someone was reportedly spotted in a canoe on roadway.

The area around Weston Road and Humber Boulevard flooded as Black Creek had broken banks in several places. Townhouses in the area may need to be evacuated.

Lakeshore Boulevard was flooded near Ontario Drive, but cars were still making it through the street.

Flooding was also reported under the bridge on Ossington Avenue between Dupont Street and Geary Avenue. Video taken in the area showed at least one vehicle stuck in the water while other cars attempted to drive through it.

At the height of the storm about 45,000 customers lost power. By 10 p.m., the number of homes without power was around 1,800 and Toronto Hydro was warning that due to the severity of damage in some areas, many people could be without power until Thursday.

By mid-morning, there were around 260 customers without power. Customers can get an update at Hydro’s the outage map.

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