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TORONTO — Severe storms cut across the Greater Toronto Area on Wednesday, causing widespread power outages, flooding and serious damage to a major concert venue as an intense weather system brought torrential rain, large hail and the risk of a tornado to wide swaths of southern Ontario.
The weather office issued multiple emergency alerts for extreme weather in parts of the GTA as skies darkened to almost nighttime levels over the city’s downtown and hail pummelled neighbourhoods further north.
Rogers Stadium, a 50,000-capacity music venue in the city’s north end, sustained “significant damage” in the storm, Live Nation Canada said in a statement.
“Fortunately, no one was injured during today’s extreme weather event,” the venue operator said late Wednesday. “We are currently assessing the extent of the damage.”
Video footage circulating on social media shows collapsed framing and torn off coverings on stadium grounds.
Subway service was suspended on a stretch of one of Toronto’s main lines during the afternoon and evening rush hours, as the sound of emergency alerts rang out inside train cars held up by flooding at multiple stations. The smell of sewage lingered at Union Station hours after flooding peaked at the busy transit hub.
Toronto police said they responded to multiple reports of fallen trees and downed power lines across the city.
Under one overpass in the downtown core, at least two partially submerged vehicles were abandoned in the floodwater Wednesday evening as police cordoned off the area. Police also issued a hazard alert on social media about flooding on the Don Valley Parkway, a major city artery.
Long stretches of Yonge Street in midtown Toronto were also flooded, with waves breaking over curbs and covering sidewalks in inches of water. In the east end, Michael Garron Hospital reported flooding in its emergency department but said it remained operational.
Outside the city, there were reports of damaged buildings, including a destroyed roof in Brampton, Ont.
Toronto Hydro said approximately 45,000 customers were without power as of late Wednesday, down from about 65,000.
“We are responding to reported hazards, including downed power lines and damaged electrical equipment, while co-ordinating restoration efforts across the city,” the utility said in a social media post.
“Given the scale of the storm and the number of outages, restoration efforts may take time and vary by location,” it said.
The storm caused numerous flight delays and cancellations at Toronto’s Pearson airport, which urged passengers to check their flight status with the airline before heading there.
