The storm may have been brief but it sure made an impact on a large part of the city and specifically at the iconic CF Toronto Eaton Centre. Shortly after Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning around 4pm, powerful sheets of rain and wind tore through the city.
Video captured the intense rain pouring into the Eaton Centre which was coming from the ceiling light fixtures. A spokesman said “the leak began on the third floor of the mall and eventually trickled down to lower levels. Areas of the mall were closed off to deal with the swampy situation.”
Flooding in the Eaton Centre following heavy rain, sudden storm https://t.co/c6JMA2j6jo #CityStorm #ONstorm pic.twitter.com/8rbdhvjZXo
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNews) June 13, 2018
Even worse, a fallen hydro pole snapped and crashed which left approximately 16,000 customers lost power, confirmed by Toronto Hydro in a tweet. “Toronto Police said traffic signals may be impacted by the storm and advised drivers to treat those intersections as four-way stops.”
Everyone was sharing images and videos on social media of cars crushed by trees, traffic lights torn down and power lines toppled.
Right after the storm ended, we were embraced by clear and sunny skies.
“By 5:30 p.m., severe thunderstorm watches and warnings were still in place for much of southeastern Ontario, including Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville and Brockville. Nickel-sized hail and winds blowing at upwards of 100 kilometres per hour were expected in some areas.”