Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Cancels Flood Watch after Heavy Rain Raise Water Levels in GTA

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has cancelled the flood watch that was issued for Toronto early Friday. The flood watch was cancelled after heavy rains once again raised water levels in GTA waterways.

Earlier on Friday, the city experienced yet another day of rainfall.

By 6 a.m., Toronto had already received up to 40 mm of rain.

“Environment Canada advises that another system is approaching the GTA from the northwest that could bring another 20-to-25 mm of rainfall with the possibility of thunderstorms,” said a statement from the TRCA.

“Due to high soil moisture content in the region and the forecasted rainfall amount, all rivers within the GTA will be experiencing higher flows and water levels, resulting in hazardous conditions.”

People were urged to exercise extreme caution around waterways and avoid driving in low-lying areas.

While the flood watch has now ended, the TRCA warns that hazardous conditions still persist, especially around low-lying areas. Rain is expected on Saturday as well, with Environment Canada predicting a 60 per cent chance of showers.

Flash flooding in some areas downtown has caused road closures and train delays. The TRCA recommends that people exercise caution around bodies of water and avoid driving in low-lying areas.

“Because the lake levels are high, that water can back up just a little bit upstream to our river mouths, meaning we don’t have as much capacity at the mouths of our rivers that we normally do,” Rehana Rajabali, a flood risk engineer with the TRCA, told CTV News Toronto.

“Bayview and some places like that in the city have always been particular problems, even with the most modest amount of rainfall,” Mayor John Tory said.

“Obviously our officials do their very best to keep up with that when it happens and long term fixes for those kinds of things are actually quite challenging, given the way things were built sometimes decades ago.”

Authorities declared a state of emergency in Minto town, just north of Kitchener, where many people were forced to leave their homes due to flood conditions.