Ottawa records more than 100 mm of rain after severe Canada Day storm

Ottawa was hit by intense rain and thunderstorms on Canada Day, leaving some residents with flooded basements and thousands without power. Environment Canada said 118 mm of rain fell at the Ottawa airport, setting a new July 1 rainfall record for the city. The storm forced the federal government to cancel the evening portion of its Canada Day ceremony at LeBreton Flats Park, including fireworks. Officials said the rain arrived quickly in the afternoon, with strong winds and heavy downpours causing widespread disruption across the region. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the city received more than 1,900 reports of flooded basements through 311 and described the storm as one of Ottawa’s worst flooding events in the last 25 years. Hydro Ottawa said crews were working on outages affecting about 5,300 customers on Thursday afternoon, while Ottawa police reported some road closures and floodingrelated incidents. Another severe thunderstorm watch was in effect Thursday with risks including strong wind, heavy rain, hail and possible tornadoes.