The tropical storm that’s battered parts of South Carolina and Gulf Coast of Florida is mixing with a low-pressure system, leading to heavy, record rain in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.
Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for almost all of the region.
There are now four different warnings associated with what’s left of tropical storm Debby as of mid-morning Friday:
- Areas surrounding Gatineau (not as far as Shawville or Gracefield) should get 80 to 120 millimetres of rain by Friday night and could stretch closer to 140 millimetres.
- The rest of western Quebec, except for Gatineau, should get 40 to 90 millimetres.
- Ottawa-Gatineau and communities east of Highway 416 should get 80 to 120 millimetres of rain before it tapers off Friday night.
- Parts of eastern Ontario west of that, including Brockville, Smiths Falls and Renfrew, should get 50 to 75 millimetres.
There are no alerts for western Renfrew County. For example, Deep River is only expecting showers and a risk of a thunderstorm.
Flood watch for one area
Flash flooding and water pooling on the road are possible, especially in low-lying areas. Environment Canada also says there’s a risk of thunderstorms.
A flood watch has been issued by South Nation Conservation, which manages the watershed within a large swath of land including parts of east Ottawa.
It said the rain could lead to increased water levels and flows in rivers, plus slippery banks. Urban and poor-drainage area could flood, it said.
None of the other conservation authorities in eastern Ontario have issued such a statement.
In preparation for a flood, Environment Canada advises people to learn how to shut off their utilities and safeguard heating equipment, along with keeping sandbags and emergency kits.
In the case of a flood, don’t try to walk through the water — even if it looks shallow — and also avoid driving through it.
Rain records set
Rain started at the Ottawa International Airport between 4 and 5 a.m. Friday and in Kingston, between 7 and 8 a.m.
Ottawa had nearly 30 millimetres of rain by 10 a.m. and nearly 56 millimetres by 2 p.m., according to Environment Canada. That broke Ottawa’s Aug. 9 rainfall record of 42.7 millimetres in 1946.
Ottawa’s August daily record is 71.1 millimetres Aug. 11, 1887.
Maniwaki also basically doubled its daily record with 78 millimetres of rain by 2 p.m.
Friday’s high is forecasted to be 22 C in Ottawa, with humidity making it feel more like 30 at its peak. The overnight low should be around 15 C and Saturday is looking like a sunny day in the mid-20s with a slight chance of afternoon showers.
Similar storm last month
Debby first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday in Florida.
Since then the storm has been downgraded but — as of Thursday — still had maximum sustained winds of 80 km/h as it barreled northeast.
At least six people have died in Florida and Georgia in the wake of the storm.
The remnants of Hurricane Beryl also hit the Ottawa-Gatineau region about a month ago. Parts of Ottawa also experienced flash flooding nearly a year ago to the day.