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Environment Canada says conditions are favourable for a repeat of Saturday evening’s storms as many in southern Quebec deal with the aftermath of flash flooding.
“The ground has a reduced ability to absorb this rainfall,” the agency wrote in its severe thunderstorm alert issued Sunday morning.
A series of “near-stationary thunderstorms” already dumped between 100 and 170 millimetres of rain Saturday, according to the agency, leading to flash floods and power outages especially in Montreal’s West Island.
Streets and basements flooded notably in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough and Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Emergency crews say they worked all evening to aid residents, in some cases freeing them from vehicles trapped in flooded streets.
About 4,400 Hydro-Québec clients in Montreal were still without power shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the public utility.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough Mayor Jim Beis, who is also responsible for security and prevention with the City of Montreal’s executive committee, said houses that had never experienced flooding before were affected.
Pierrefond resident Joseph Carino says the borough main boulevard turned into a “swimming pool” Saturday evening.
Though he’s supposed to spend Monday at his daughter’s wedding, Carino says he’ll now have to make time for his insurance company as well, noting their offices were closed when he tried to reach them Saturday evening.
He says he hopes they don’t give him a hard time given that his neighbourhood is not considered a flood zone.
“This [water] all came through the ground, it did not come from pipes,” he said. “My hands are tied with Mother Nature if she wants to drop it she’s going to drop it so it’s no fault of my own.”
At least, he was able to hang up his son’s tux and spare it from any damage, he says — unlike the pile of soaked items now lining his driveway.
Carino says Saturday’s flood marks the fourth time his house flooded in nine years; it flooded in 2017, 2019, 2024 and 2026.
“And now we’re waiting for the next one in 2028. I can only laugh about it” he said.
A storm system over Quebec on Saturday has led to heavy rain that has caused flooding and power outages in Montreal’s West Island, including Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
Impacts on the South Shore
Parts of the South Shore and Outaouais regions were also affected.
In Saint-Mathieu, in the Montérégie, the municipality is asking residents to limit their water consumption as its network is still saturated, it said on social media. It said residents should check if their toilets are flushing properly before using them regularly again.
The municipality also says its 911 service is being highly solicited at the moment, and is urging residents to dial the number only if they’re faced with an emergency presenting an immediate danger to them.
