Ottawa drenched in record rainfall as Canada Day storm cancels celebrations
The capital received 118.4 millimetres of rain on July 1—double the previous record—flooding streets, basements and forcing the PM to cut short his speech.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ottawa shattered its rainfall record on Canada Day, July 1, when 118.4 millimetres of rain fell in hours—double the previous high of 58.9 mm set in 1959.
Prime Minister Mark Carney finished his speech to thousands gathered to celebrate the country's 159th birthday just moments before a prolonged storm cancelled official events, including evening fireworks. Thunderstorms rolled through the afternoon and early evening, bringing strong winds, extremely heavy rain, lightning and threats of hail.
Photos and videos from residents showed roads completely underwater, with water creeping halfway up parked vehicles in some portions of the city. Reports of basements flooding emerged Thursday as cleanup efforts got underway. More than a dozen flights out of Ottawa airport were cancelled due to the weather. The west end near IKEA experienced extreme flooding, as did areas just south of Bayshore mall.
