Punishing storms swept through much of southern Ontario on Wednesday evening, leaving thousands without power, damaging buildings and flooding roads. Toronto was among the hard-hit areas, with officials noting there was rainfall of more than 100 millimetres in parts of the city. Here’s a list of some of the other storms of note from recent years that led to flooding and other damage in the Toronto area: 2013 Record-smashing July rains swept through Canada’s largest city in one of the most intense rainfalls it had ever seen, with Toronto Pearson airport’s recorded rainfall of 121 millimetres topping the previous high set by hurricane Hazel in 1954. Like Wednesday’s storm, this one hit during evening rush hour and cars on the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway were abandoned as commuters dealt with flooded roads. A memorable rescue effort was mounted after floodwater seeped into a northbound commuter train, stranding the cars and some 1,400 passengers. It took police and firefighters about seven hours to ferry the 1,400 people to dry ground aboard small inflatable boats. Significant flooding at two transmission stations knocked out power for 300,000 people in the city’s west end, and homes flooded. A later report from Swiss Re Canada put the damage at almost $1.5 billion, about two-thirds of which was insured. 2017 The Toronto Islands were a soggy mess by late May after a series of heavy rains raised Lake Ontario’s water level to their highest on records dating back to 1918. The city closed the islands to the general public for months, shuttered attractions and cancelled permitted events as water levels continued to rise. They were not reopened until July 31, though parts of some of the beaches were off-limits. Businesses lost millions in revenue and the city’s preliminary numbers suggested a $4.9 million hit to its operating budget. 2019 Once again, the Toronto Islands flooded in May amid rising lake waters that surpassed the level seen two years earlier. Sandbags stacked on the north shore of Ward’s Island couldn’t hold back the flood, with water reaching some residents’ doors or inside crawl spaces. 2024 Torrential rain in July flooded Union Station, along with the Don Valley Parkway, where the Toronto fire department rescued two people — one from inside their vehicle and another from the roof of their car — followed by another 12 people further along the highway. At the train station, water pooled on the main concourse and shops closed. The flooding caused about $990 million in insured damages, it was later reported. A month later, another storm hit southern Ontario, with rainfall that broke the record from 2013. The August downpour again saw the Don Valley Parkway flood, and water rescues for stranded drivers, as well as downed power lines, flooded basements and other damage. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2026.
