Toronto Is Underwater, Again

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/06/26/3453502/toronto-flash-floods/

BY JOANNA M. FOSTER ON JUNE 26, 2014

A dramatic night of storms in Toronto on Wednesday flooded subway stations, turned a major freeway into a river and knocked out power to thousands of people.
On Wednesday, Environment Canada issued a special weather warning for heavy rain in Toronto Wednesday evening. Some parts of the city received nearly three inches of rain in just three hours.

Large sections of the Don Valley Parkway, a major freeway, were submerged Wednesday evening, and all lanes and ramps were closed for much of the night.

Dozens of people had to be rescued from their cars as water lapped at windows. One driver, who tried to get on the DVP after seeing that his normal route home from work was closed, told the Toronto Star, that his car died just moments after he noticed water under his tires.

“When you’re in it, it’s too late, it’s way too late,” the driver, Len Lal, said.
Water was up to Lal’s waist in the car before he was rescued. “It’s like a scene out of Terminator: Salvation,” Lal said after his rescue.

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This kind of torrential downpour, where weeks or even a month of rain falls in just a couple of hours has become more common in recent years and is predicted to increase in frequency and intensity as the planet warms. As the world’s oceans and air warm up, more water is transferred from the ocean into the atmosphere. That’s because warmer water leads to more evaporation, and warmer air can hold more water. The air holds about 7 percent more moisture for every 1 degree Celsius increase in temperature. That moisture can then be concentrated into fronts, which unleash torrential downpours when they encounter disturbances in the air or land.

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The Insurance Bureau of Canada says claims related to catastrophic weather events have surpassed $1 billion in every year since 2009.