Southern Ontario Tornado Outbreak of 2005 - Impacts

Impacts

The twisters uprooted hundreds of trees, chewed the limbs off of countless others, downed power lines, tossed cars and trucks aside, and ripped into several homes, cottages and barns. In Guelph and Orangeville, 10,000 residents were left without power. No deaths or injuries were reported.

In Toronto, 103 mm (4.1 in) of rain fell in one hour in North York and surrounding area, double the amount left by Hurricane Hazel in 1954 (the heaviest rain from Hazel fell over Etobicoke and the Airport area). At the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) Downsview headquarters, 130 mm (5.1 in) of rain fell, 100 mm (3.9 in) of which occurred in less than an hour, a record for any storm in Toronto. A block or two to the north in Thornhill, a weather watcher emptied her rain gauge at 175 mm (6.9 in). Rainfall totals from the storm exceeded 140 mm (5.5 in) in parts in Vaughan. A volunteer storm spotter reported a tornado in the north part of the city but it was not confirmed by Environment Canada.

The rain washed out a portion of Finch Avenue near Sentinel Ave in North York. It overflowed storm drains which caused severe basement flooding to many thousands of homes and two floors of the MSC building. Around Toronto, torrential rains snarled traffic and stranded drivers. Fire services responded to more than 1,000 calls. Marine services personnel rescued four people who fell into the fast-moving currents of the Don River.