Several roads remains closed, including stretches of the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway, as crews continue to clean up from severe thunderstorms that caused widespread flooding across Toronto. Thousands of people are still without electricity after destructive winds knocked down trees and power lines. Follow along for live updates. Key details Southbound DVP reopens The southbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway have reopened but northbound lanes remain closed between Bloor Street and the Gardiner Expressway. It is unclear when the northbound lanes will reopen. City sees more than 1,100 service requests In an email on Thursday, the City of Toronto said crews continue to clear debris and sediment off of roadways as flood waters begin to recede. “Closures will remain in place until cleanup operations are complete and the roadways are determined to be safe for reopening,” the email read. More than 1,100 service requests have been received by the city so far as it continues to assess and respond to hazards across Toronto, “prioritizing safety as well as ensuring key infrastructure such as hydro and roadways continue.” “Widespread power outages have been reported across the city, impacting several traffic signals. Residents are encouraged to treat these intersections as a four-way stop,” the city noted. The City’s 10 supervised beaches are expected to reopen at 10 a.m. and outdoor pools may open later than usual today. Some park washrooms may be closed and drop-in programs at recreation centres may be cancelled today. All CampTO programs are operating, with activities “adjusted on site where needed.” DVP closed ‘indefinitely’ for cleanup It is unclear when the Don Valley Parkway will reopen between Bayview/ Bloor and the Gardiner Expressway. “It is a mess on the Don Valley Parkway,” CP24 Traffic Specialist Meital Sperling said on Thursday morning, adding that officials have said the stretch is closed “indefinitely” until cleanup can be completed. “Getting downtown this morning is going to be quite the struggle.” Tropical air mass provided ignition for storm CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter said these types of storms are rare in Toronto. “Toronto tends to not get a lot of these kind of really powerful storms because often the cold front comes in from the west, interacts with the Niagara Escarpment, that kind of flattens out the cloud a little bit,” he said. “Then as it expands on the eastern side of the escarpment, it dries out a little bit and then it redevelops on the east side of the GTA and eastward.” He noted that this storm was different as it came from the north. “This coming down from the north had no interactions so you had these ripples ahead of the cold front that gave wave after wave of ignition to this tropical air mass,” Coulter said. “And boy did we pay the price yesterday.” Delays on some TTC bus routes TTC spokesperson Susan Nguyen said it is a busy morning but a “problem-free” commute on the subway, LRT and streetcar routes. “On the roads, we are dealing with significant delays because of flooding on the roadways there, and this is primarily in the northwest of the city, along Finch, Keele, Sheppard, Wilson, and Dufferin,” she told CP24 on Thursday morning. Storm was ‘one for the history books’ Coulter confirmed that 43.3 millimetres of rain fell at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday, representing more than half a month’s worth of rain in a matter of hours. “This is the calm after the storm and it is one for the history books for sure,” Coulter said. He said certain areas of the city likely got “significantly more” than that amount. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear totals, when they put out the summary, of 100 plus,” Coulter said Thursday. Toronto will be spared from further thunderstorms on Thursday but humid weather is in the forecast. The city will see a high of 27 C today, feeling like 34 when factoring in the humidity. Power outages continue At the peak of the storm, Toronto Hydro said about 65,000 customers were without power in the city. As of about midnight, the utility said service has been restored to about 40,000 customers, leaving about 25,000 still in the dark. It in unclear how many still remain without electricity this morning. Commuters should leave ‘plenty of extra time’ In a post on social media, the City of Toronto said several roadways will remain closed this morning “until further notice.”
