‘It is the absolute wild west out there’: Rain wreaks havoc on most major GTA highways 

Early morning commuters are experiencing a wet, grey morning that will clear up later in the day.

Heavy rain across the GTA caused problems on most major highways this morning, with multiple collisions and flooding reported in some areas.

“It is the absolute wild west out there this morning along all of the major routes,” CP24 Traffic Specialist Meital Sperling said on Thursday morning.

“It is a free for all. It is very difficult to see because of this really heavy rain.”

Toronto police said north and southbound Bayview Avenue are closed at Evergreen Brick Works due to flooding. Police said flooding has been reported on the Bayview/ Bloor DVP ramp.

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Multiple eastbound collector lanes are blocked near Avenue Road and traffic in the express lanes are “at a standstill” near Yonge Street due to a truck rollover, Sperling said.

“It is going to be a while until this all gets cleaned up,” she said.

Three northbound lanes of Highway 400 were shut down for a period of time at Langstaff Road in Vaughan.

Some flooding has been reported on eastbound Hwy. 401 at Leslie Street, she noted.

“It is a swimming pool,” Sperling said, adding that cars are crawling along the highway in the area.

Two northbound lanes of Highway 404 are closed near Steeles due to another crash.

“It is really, really bad out there,” she said.

A spokesperson for Toronto police said the weather created “dangerous” conditions for drivers this morning.

“Although I do not have specific numbers, it does appear that the weather is causing dangerous driving conditions and increased issues,” they said.

A special weather statement remains in effect for Toronto with strong winds, heavy rain, and thunderstorms possible early this morning.

CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter said the rain is expected to ease up later this morning.

“As that tapers, we’ll continue with the chance of showers through early afternoon with some evening clearing,” Coulter said Thursday, adding that gusty winds of up to 60 km/h will persist throughout the day.