A severe thunderstorm caused flash flooding in Toronto, cutting power to at least 300,000 in Canada's largest city, shutting down subways, forcing some people to cling to trees and leaving about 1,400 passengers stranded for hours on a commuter train filled with gushing water. Environment Canada said some parts of the city had been drenched with more than 3.9 inches (10 centimeters) of rain in the Monday evening storm, easily beating the previous one-day rainfall record of 1.4 inches (3.6 centimeters) in 2008. Toronto police and firefighters used small inflatable boats to rescue commuters from a 10-car, double-decker Go Transit train that stalled in floodwaters that reached up to the lower windows. Murky brown water spilled through the bottom floor of the carriages, sending passengers fleeing to the upper decks A Metrolinx spokeswoman said power was shut off and the windows were cranked opened to provide ventilation. The train was carrying about 1,400 passengers during the Monday evening rush hour.
