A powerful thunderstorm struck Simcoe, Ontario, on Monday morning, triggering flash flooding, fallen trees, and power outages, with significant impacts across nearby communities such as Jarvis.
Between 11:00 a.m. and noon on Monday, June 30, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Crawford Luke, the storm dumped up to 62 millimetres (2.44 inches) of rain in just 90 minutes. Several private backyard weather stations in Simcoe and Jarvis recorded rainfall totals of 49 millimetres (1.93 inches), which Luke described as roughly two-thirds of a typical month’s worth of precipitation.
“When that kind of rain hits a town or city,” said Luke, “it tends to be worse because of all the concrete and pavement. There’s nowhere for the water to go.” That reality played out across Queensway East at Banks St. S., where drivers were seen steering their vehicles through deep, pooling water.
Local residents took to social media to share images and videos of flooded streets and downed power lines, with reports of trees toppling under the force of the storm.
The meteorologist warned that storm activity west of Simcoe could trigger a second wave of severe weather, with unsettled conditions expected through Monday evening and into Tuesday morning, July 1.
