Strong winds, power outages possible Thursday in GTA after flooding snarls traffic

Strong winds in the Greater Toronto Area on Thursday may cause power outages, Environment Canada says, while some roads in the region remain closed due to flooding from heavy rain.

Winds up to 85 km/hr may develop later Thursday morning and continue into the afternoon, the federal weather agency said in a special weather statement. Loose objects may be tossed and tree damage is also possible. 

This latest forecast comes after heavy rain hit part of southwestern Ontario on Wednesday, and nearly 192,000 customers remain without power in the province after an ice storm over the weekend. 

Brampton fire crews rescued a man from a flooded park early Thursday morning near Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue East, Chief Nick Ruller said in an interview with CBC Radio's Metro Morning. 

The man said he was near a paved pathway when he was surrounded by rising floodwaters in a low lying area of the park. He was rescued by fire crews and is being treated for suspected hypothermia, Ruller said.

Meanwhile, commuters across the region should be ready to encounter flooded roads.

All lanes at the northbound ramp on Highway 427 at Rexdale Boulevard and Derry Road in Toronto are closed, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation said in a post on X Thursday.

Torbram Road from Rena Road to Highway 407 in Mississauga, and Intermodal Drive west of Goreway Drive in Brampton are also both closed due to flooding, Peel police said on Thursday. 

Police said three vehicles were stuck in floodwater near Torbram Road and Highway 407. The occupants exited the cars safely before officers arrived on scene, and no injuries were reported, they said. 

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said officers had "a very busy morning" due to incidents on highways related to flooding, rain and wind. 

He said there is flooding at Highway 401 and Weston Road, as well as the Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 427. Some on ramps and off ramps have been restricted and closed.

"Crews are working to get those catch basins open and cleared out so that water can drain," he said. 

Bayview Avenue was closed between Rosedale Valley Road and Pottery Road, but has since reopened, the City of Toronto said. 

People should stay away from shorelines, rivers and streams, the city said in an email to CBC Toronto.

Additional power outages happened Wednesday

The wintry weather is the second spring storm to hit the region in less than a week.

Power utility Hydro One says crews have been working around the clock since the last storm blew through over the weekend. The storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes across southern and eastern Ontario.

The hardest hit areas continue to be Peterborough, Orillia and Fenelon Falls, Hydro One said in a statement Thursday. Nearly one million people have been affected by the storm, and crews have restored power to more than 83 per cent of customers. 

Hydro One said high winds, freezing rain and thunderstorms on Wednesday caused scattered outages in parts of southwestern and central Ontario, affecting an additional 30,000 people. 

"This weather system slowed restoration and grounded helicopters, however, today's weather allows for restoration to continue as planned," the statement read. 

High of 17 C in Toronto on Thursday 

Toronto saw warmer spring weather on Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach a high of 17 C, according to Environment Canada. 

The city was under a rainfall warning that lifted early Thursday morning. Environment Canada had said the city could see between 30 and 50 millimetres of rain, and up to 75 millimetres in some areas. 

"The ground, already near saturation, has little ability to absorb further rainfall," Environment Canada said in the warning.

It warned that flooding was possible in low-lying areas and there could be standing water on roads because of the heavy downpour.

The warning followed a messy mix of precipitation, including ice pellets, that hit the city during the day Wednesday.

A freezing rain warning and special weather statement for the city lifted on Wednesday. Some surrounding areas, including Newmarket, Georgina and northern York Region, Barrie, Collingwood and Hillsdale, Uxbridge and Beaverton, were still under freezing rain warnings on Wednesday night, but those have since been lifted.