Record-breaking rainfall wreaks havoc on Montreal roads
Some drivers had to abandon their cars during the afternoon commute on Wednesday after Montreal was soaked in a heavy, record-breaking downpour of rain that wreaked havoc on the roads.
The Decarie was one of the roadways that were partially closed during the rainfall, turning the expressway into a lake. Some drivers braved the deluge of rain and plowed through it while others got their vehicles stuck in the floodwaters.
Cars are stranded in a parking lot near Cote Vertu in Saint-Laurent after flash flooding on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Submitted photo)
The Decarie was closed between Côte-Saint-Luc Road and Highway 40 due to "water accumulation," according to the Transports Quebec 511 X account, before it was reopened several hours later.
Another major route affected by the rain was Highway 13 north, which was closed northbound between Hickmore Street and Highway 520. It has since reopened. Drivers reported being stuck in traffic for hours due to the road closures.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has the Greater Montreal Area under a rainfall warning on Wednesday as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl pass over the region. Upwards of 70 millimetres of rain is expected over southern Quebec until Thursday.
ECCC recorded 66 millimetres of rain as of 6:45 p.m., smashing the previous record of 32.5 millimetres for July 10 in 1945.
- Have photos or video of the downpour? Please e-mail us at montrealdigitalnews@bellmedia.ca. NOTE: CTVNewsMontreal.ca does not accept photos or videos taken while operating a vehicle.
There was also some flooding of water inside the Jean-Talon metro station due to the heavy rain.
'It was total chaos': truck driver
Roberto Piovesan was driving a 53-foot semi-trailer at around 2:30 p.m. on Cote-Vertu Road, heading East at Begin Street, when he was forced to stop due to the weather.
"The highway was flooded and the service road was flooded," he told CTV News.
He added that the service roads were flooded as well and that he's never seen anything like it in the three decades he's been driving his truck.
Later in the day, Piovesan said he saw drivers take their chances with the floodwaters and drive through but end up getting stuck, including a motorcycle that didn't make it and a pickup truck that also got stuck. He said he initially thought there was only one person inside the pick-up, but later saw a couple and their three kids were inside.
He went to help them get out of the water before a firefighter came to their aid.
He described the scene as "total chaos," with the water as high as five feet.
Leave your car where it is: transport ministry
Several people had to be evacuated from the roof of their cars, as floodwaters rose too quickly for them to escape, said Transports Quebec spokesperson Louis-Andre Bertrand.
Most people were able to leave their vehicles safely, and there have been no injuries reported so far, he said.
The traffic is another matter: Bertrand said it will take several hours to remove vehicles and help divert drivers after the road closures caused massive gridlock throughout the Montreal area.
His advice is to leave the car where it is.
"If you can postpone – if you haven't left yet, downtown – postpone your trip," said Bertrand. "Or if you can, leave your car downtown. You should go for the metro or the train transit solutions. That'll be the fastest way to get home because right now road traffic is congested in the Greater Montreal Area."
Flight cancellations at the Montreal airport
The transport ministry says a number of roads are closed or partially closed due to the weather, including Moulins Road under the Bonaventure Expressway.
Quebec provincial police say they are aware of "major impediments" on Montreal-area roads and are monitoring them. So far, there haven't been any reports of serious collisions.
The City of Montreal also said it is closely monitoring the situation and officials are "ready to intervene if necessary." It is reminding homeowners it has tips to protect homes from heavy rain on its website.
Hydro-Quebec reported that nearly 12,000 customers were without electricity at 3:30 p.m. The bulk of the outages were in the Montérégie (6,358) and Montreal (5,250) areas, but those outages are largely over by the early evening hours.
Many flights have been delayed and some have been cancelled at the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.
The rainfall should come to an end by 3 or 4 p.m. on Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979942.1722089395!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
UPDATED Jasper wildfire largest in 100 years, expected to burn for months: Officials
Officials say the Jasper wildfire, which tore through the townsite on Wednesday, is the largest the national park has recorded in 100 years.
Wasaga Beach reacts to reports of beachgoers defecating in sand
While Wasaga Beach is known for being the longest freshwater beach in the world, it has been talked about for a different reason in recent weeks, as reports have surfaced of beachgoers defecating in the sand.
2 officers injured after armed man walks into Pickering police station
Two police officers have been injured in an interaction with a man who walked into a Pickering police station with a firearm Saturday afternoon.
Air Canada flight from Casablanca cancelled after incident involving flight attendant
Air Canada has confirmed that a Montreal-bound flight from Casablanca, Morocco, was cancelled on Friday following an incident between a flight attendant and a passenger.
'A point of no return:' Why Europe has become an epicentre for anti-tourism protests this summer
Anti-tourism protests have been sweeping across Europe this summer, with demonstrations taking place in the Netherlands, Greece, and of course, Spain.
FIFA deducts points, bans Canadian coaches in drone-spying scandal
FIFA has deducted six points from Canada in Olympic women's soccer standings and banned three coaches for one year amid a drone-spying scandal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Harris holds her first fundraiser as the likely Democratic nominee as donors open their wallets
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used her first fundraiser since becoming the Democrats' likely White House nominee to excoriate the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as determined to roll back Americans' freedoms.
Rocket attack on town in Israeli-controlled Golan Heights kills at least 11. Netanyahu hurries home
A rocket strike Saturday at a soccer field killed at least 11 children and teens, Israeli authorities said, in the deadliest strike on an Israeli target along the country's northern border since the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began. It raised fears of a broader regional war.
What is still standing in Jasper, including the town's namesake bear statue, and what isn't
Images emerging from the town of Jasper are painting a picture of what's still standing and what isn't after wildfire tore through the community on July 24.