Power mostly restored in Toronto after flooding at Hydro One transmission station causes widespread outages

It almost goes without saying that Tuesday was an historic day in the city of Toronto. Mark McAllister on the update from city officials following the massive rain and heavy flooding that created transit and roadway chaos.

By Patricia D'Cunha and Lucas Casaletto

Posted July 16, 2024 1:52 pm.

Last Updated July 17, 2024 1:45 pm.

Toronto Hydro said around 3,000 customers across Toronto remain without power after a widespread outage on Tuesday, which was caused by flooding at a Hydro One transmission station.

“We’ve made significant progress and have started to partially restore power to the affected station. While there are steps before this results in power restoration to Toronto Hydro customers, we expect to continue to bring the station back online in stages throughout the day,” Hydro One said in a updated post on X on Wednesday.

Around 167,000 customers were without power at the peak of the outage, but it has been restored to most of the city. There are still approximately 3,300 customers without power as of 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Outage update: Working together with @HydroOne, the majority of affected customers have been restored. Approximately 3,330 customers remain without power (down from 167,000 at the peak of the outage). We’re continuing the restoration efforts as quickly and safely as possible. Our…
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) July 17, 2024

An outage map on the power utility’s website showed power down in several areas of the city Tuesday afternoon, including Toronto, Parkdale, East York, and Liberty Village.

“If your power outage is not displayed on the map, please report it online or by calling 416-542-8000 (press 1). Thank you for your patience and understanding,” Toronto Hydro wrote on its website.

“Due to the nature of the situation, please note that we’re not currently able to provide individual estimated times of restoration (ETRs). The ETRs that are displayed on the outage map are preliminary estimates based on historical data and may change as restoration efforts continue.”

The City of Toronto said around 30 city community centres have been impacted by power outages, which could impact summer camps on Wednesday. Camps were left running on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) said approximately 20 schools were without power following the storm but it has since been restored.

“All schools currently being used for summer school, child care and camps appear to have power this morning. We will continue to monitor all schools for any flood damage. At this time, all schools will remain open today,” the board said in an update on Wednesday.

Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, councillor for Spadina-Fort York, took to X to ask people to keep phone lines open for emergencies.

I'm in active contact with City staff in response to severe flooding and power outages. Crews are working to restore power and clear debris so water can drain. @TorontoHydro asks to keep phone lines open for emergencies. Find real-time updates on the map: https://t.co/vgK4Sif9Fs https://t.co/srr31pFhCR
— ausma malik (@ausmalik) July 16, 2024

Torrential downpours in the GTA flooded several highways, roads, TTC stations, and other areas of the region amid a rainfall warning that called for a potential of up to 125 millimetres of rain.

Outage update: We’re continuing to work together with @HydroOne to respond to the outage affecting large areas across the city due to a loss of supply. A loss of supply occurs when an issue arises with Hydro One that disrupts the flow of power to Toronto Hydro customers. pic.twitter.com/CayVn7osfD
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) July 16, 2024