Heavy rainfall floods roads, trails and parks in Waterloo Region

Tuesday got off to a very soggy start in southern Ontario.

Environment Canada was predicting up to 100 mm of rain, with as much as 40 mm falling per hour.

The heavy downpour caused some severe – but temporary – flooding in parts of the province.

In Waterloo Region, an alert was issued on behalf of the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).

Water collected in low-lying areas, sports fields, parks and trails. It also inundated parts of the storm water system.

One of the many roads that flooded was the on-ramp at Courtland Avenue in Kitchener, where one driver got stuck.

“I didn’t think it was that deep in there,” said Jean-Louis Foucault. “It was deep enough, it was about halfway up the door.”

He didn’t have to wait long for help.

Jesse Ducroix tows Jean-Louis Foucault's car from the Courtland Ave. on-ramp in Kitchener on July 16, 2024. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV News)

“I saw a tow truck guy and he came over to help me out.”

“I rolled by, there was a car stuck in the water, nose deep in it, and I just had to stop, block the road and see if he needed help,” said Jesse Ducroix of KW Towing.

It wasn’t an easy task either, as the ramp was fully submerged.

Jesse Ducroix of KW Towing shows how deep the water is at the Courtland Ave. on-ramp in Kitchener on July 16, 2024. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV News)

“Unfortunately I had to go right underneath to get the controller,” Ducroix explained.

Once Foucault’s vehicle was hooked up, they left for the reporting centre to see how extensive – and expensive – the damage might be.

Submerged car in Kitchener on July 16, 2024. (Submitted)

Repair shops were also busy on Tuesday morning. At Scherer Chevrolet Buick GMC in Kitchener, service calls usually spike after a heavy rainfall.

“You’ve got to remember, your exhaust is very hot,” explained general manager Ed Figueiredo. “Your catalytic converter is very hot. So you’re running your car through cold water, cooling down the exhaust quickly, which could damage that. That’s fairly extensive damage. Probably the worst part is if you go through really deep water, the engine air inlet could suck some water into the engine. That is a catastrophic failure on the engine itself.”

The GRCA, meanwhile, is warning residents to stay away from local waterways as levels are still high and could change without warning, especially with more rain in the forecast.

Flooding in Toronto

Toronto was hard hit by the torrential rain. Inside Union Station, people were wading in ankle-high water and outside the major transit hub, water poured down the entrance steps. Cars were submerged, causing some drivers to abandon their vehicles, and water spilled from the Don River onto the Parkway.

The Don Valley Parkway is seen flooded in both directions as heavy rain hit Toronto on July 16, 2024. (@WxOntario1 / X)

The rainfall also cased a widespread power outage, affecting more than 200,000 customers.

-- With additional reporting by Spencer Turcotte