Thunderstorms, high winds down trees, cause power outages in GTA

Severe thunderstorms swept across the west end of the Greater Toronto Area into Hamilton Thursday evening, triggering widespread weather watches and warnings.

Fueled by a cold front, along with high heat and humidity, the storms produced pea-sized hail and torrential rainfall that led to localized flooding in some areas.

Environment Canada said roughly 60 millimetres of rain fell in less than an hour.

Powerful wind gusts in Etobicoke also led to damage including several downed trees, which in turn led to power outages.

A large tree is seen toppled over, damaging a fence and power lines after a storm in Etobicoke on Aug. 26, 2021. CITYNEWS/Cristina Vanelli

Toronto Hydro said several homes and businesses were in the dark at the height of the storm and they are working on restoring power.

They added that the damage from the storm will require complex and lengthy repairs, which means those impacted will not have power until at least Friday morning — particularly those in and around the boundaries of Evans Road, Lakeshore, Browns Line and Etobicoke Creek.

“Rest assured our crews are working as quickly & safely as possible to restore power to the remaining customers,” they said on Twitter.

We’re responding to a number of outages in the west end and reports of wires down caused by fallen tree limbs. If you come across downed wires, stay at least 10 metres back (about the length of a school bus) & report them to us at 416-542-8000 (press 1). pic.twitter.com/VppIE8j8JP

— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) August 26, 2021