Severe Thunderstorm Paralyses Toronto with Massive Flooding and Power Outages

Cars sit stranded on the flooded Don Valley Parkway during a storm in Toronto on September 2, 2026.

A powerful thunderstorm has struck Canada's largest city, Toronto, damaging buildings, closing roads, and cutting power to tens of thousands of residents. The severe weather brought torrential rain, strong winds, and large hail, triggering tornado watches and warnings across multiple areas.

According to electricity provider Toronto Hydro, at least 45,000 customers were left without electricity as of 8pm on Wednesday (00:00 GMT on Thursday). The storm uprooted trees and triggered severe flooding, forcing major road closures—including on the Don Valley Parkway, as reported by the CBC.

The Michael Garron Hospital, situated in Toronto's East York community, confirmed that its emergency department was impacted by flooding. Meanwhile, published images from the CBC depicted cars nearly submerged in the city of Vaughan, located north of Toronto.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow shared in a post on X that the city's emergency operations centre has remained active since Wednesday morning. She stated that city crews are actively responding to fallen trees, downed power wires, and widespread flooding. Furthermore, the Toronto Transit Commission is working tirelessly to restore affected subway and bus services disrupted by high winds and debris.

At Toronto Pearson International airport, dozens of departing flights faced significant delays or cancellations on Wednesday evening. Although Environment and Climate Change Canada lifted the orange severe thunderstorm warning for the Greater Toronto Area, a yellow alert for heat and severe thunderstorms remains active across parts of southwestern Ontario province.