Montreal reels from flash flooding as climate risks intensify

Montreal's West Island and surrounding areas are recovering from severe flash flooding Saturday that inundated homes, closed roads, and knocked out power to tens of thousands of residents, with Environment Canada warning that more heavy rain could follow. Up to 150 millimetres of rain fell in parts of western Montreal and the South Shore in just a few hours Saturday afternoon. Montreal firefighters spent Saturday evening assisting residents in Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Dollard-des-Ormeaux, where heavy rainfall flooded streets and homes.

The Montreal fire department said late Saturday that the situation had stabilized, but crews continued door-to-door safety checks through Sunday. Dimitrios Beis, mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, reported that "hundreds of homes" had been flooded since Saturday afternoon. The borough opened a temporary shelter at the Pierrefonds arena and mobilized volunteers to help vulnerable residents remove belongings from their homes.

Errol Johnson, deputy mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, described the city as facing "a very difficult situation." Montreal police closed several roads Saturday in the West Island, including sections of Boulevard Pierrefonds and Boulevard Jacques-Bizard. Power outages continued to decline Sunday; Hydro-Québec reported 51 outages affecting 1,312 customers across Quebec on Sunday afternoon, most in the Montreal region. The storms also disrupted Montreal-Trudeau International Airport Saturday evening.

A lightning alert from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. brought operations to a standstill—no aircraft could land or take off, and 25 flights were diverted. Air Canada said flight disruptions were expected throughout Sunday. Environment Canada warned Sunday that conditions remain favourable for more flooding in parts of southern Quebec.

The agency noted that ground in areas hit by the heaviest rain may not be able to absorb much more water.