Cleanup begins as heavy rain floods many areas across Ottawa

Some areas across the nation’s capital have been impacted by severe flooding as heavy rain, hail and strong winds swept through Ottawa on Thursday, Aug. 10.

(Video courtesy of @sxwxgirl1)

Parking lot on Merivale #Ottawa #ONStorm #ottweather #ottnews @weathernetwork pic.twitter.com/pkQkfINfzq

— Duchess Of The Burg (@sxwxgirl1) August 10, 2023

(Video courtesy of @nickjameseaton)

Sewer on #meadowlands rd looking like it’s about to pop it’s lid. I’ve lived in Ottawa for over 40 years and this is the first time ever seeing something like this!#storm #ottawa #pressurecooker pic.twitter.com/xIuGO8VC6p

— Nick James Beaton (@nickjamesbeaton) August 10, 2023

Environment Canada said over 70 millimetres (mm) of rain was recorded at the Experimental Farm on Thursday, 77.3 mm to be exact. Just over 38 mm of rain (38.3 mm to be exact) was recorded at the Ottawa International Airport.

The weather agency issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Ottawa and Gatineau earlier in the day.

According to Environment Canada data, the Carleton Heights and Riverside area had nearly 100 mm of rain, Kanata received 50.8 mm of rain, Stittsville and Carp received roughly 40 mm of rain and 31.5 mm of rain fell in the Metcalfe area.

In an update provided on Friday, Aug. 11, the City of Ottawa said there were no flood related injuries as a result of the significant weather event.

The City added that it received roughly 130 calls about basements being flooded, with majority of those calls coming from from the Alta Vista, Knoxdale-Merivale and College wards.

“There was a significant increase in call volume yesterday and so we are encouraging residents to try again today if they did not speak to an agent directly – all flooding should be reported to 3-1-1,” said the City of Ottawa in a statement.

The City’s Infrastructure and Water Services Department (IWSD) has performing inspections related to sewer and drain issues. IWSD has received about 160 requests, to date. The process is for residents to call 3-1-1, which will trigger a formal inspection. Based on the results of the inspection, IWSD may recommend mitigations.

Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) reported many road closures across the city due to flooding, including the heavily impacted areas of Woodroffe Avenue, Merivale Road, Meadowlands Drive, Walkley Road, Industrial Road and St. Laurent Boulevard.

@OttFire Firefighters out helping residents during the storm today.#Ottawa #OttNews #OttStorm https://t.co/7Y8eBxeDVG

— Ottawa Fire Services (@OttFire) August 10, 2023

Ottawa Hydro reported roughly 24,000 customers without power.

We understand outages can be challenging for those without power. We thank you for your patience as crews continue restoration efforts. #ottcity

— Hydro Ottawa (@hydroottawa) August 10, 2023