‘Widespread and heavy’: Toronto to see plenty of rain with warning in place

Torontonians may get drenched over the next 24 hours as Environment Canada warns of potentially “widespread and heavy” rainfall for the city.

The federal weather agency has issued a rainfall warning for Toronto, saying some areas may see a total of 50 millimetres of rain fall between Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Showers are expected to push into the region through the afternoon as a moisture laden system moves into the Great Lakes Basin,” Environment Canada said.

“The showers are expected to become more widespread and heavy at times tonight along with the risk for thunderstorms as a more unstable air mass moves in.”

2:11 Record rainfall in GTA signals a future with frequent severe weather: experts

Showers will continue into Wednesday morning, but are expected to become more isolated and ease off in intensity, it added. Some areas could see more than 50 mm of rain, but Environment Canada said there still remains a high degree of uncertainty.

Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads, it added. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

The rainfall system comes after what has been a mostly dry September for the city – the opposite of what Toronto saw during the summer.

In fact, this summer was the wettest Torontonians have ever seen, Global News meteorologist Ross Hull said last month.

2:02 Torrential downpour exposes Toronto’s ageing infrastructure

In July, a rain event caused catastrophic flooding in Toronto, which resulted in more than $940 million in insured damage, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said.

City officials said the torrential downpour Toronto received “far exceeded” what they expected, and added they are learning from the specifics of the storm and how it can better manage its response to sudden, extreme weather.

&© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.