Remnants of Debby bring more than 70 mm of rain to parts of Ottawa

A storm system bringing a record amount of rain soaked the capital Friday, as the remnants of tropical storm Debby move across the country.

A low pressure system interacting with the remnants of tropical storm Debby brought heavy rainfall for eastern Ontario, Environment Canada said.

• IN PICTURES: Heavy rainfall in Ottawa

The weather agency said that while the system passes through Southern Ontario and Quebec Friday, communities between Cornwall, Ont., through Quebec City are prone to the the risk of flash flooding. The agency has also warned that minor landslides are a possibility.

A rainfall warning was in effect for most of the day, ending just before 6:20 p.m. as the worst of the system moved out of the Ottawa area.

Environment Canada said the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa's west end had seen 75.8 mm of rain. Gatineau, Que. saw a total of 83 mm.

According to Environment Canada, a total of 45.5 mm was recorded at the Ottawa Airport, breaking the record for Aug. 9. The previous record for the same day was 41.4 mm, set in 1959.

Volunteers reported 90.9 mm of rain in Kanata Lakes, 101.6 mm in Cornwall, 99.8 mm in Mississippi Mills, 118.1 mm in East Hawkesbury, 121.7 mm in Alexandria, 115.8 mm in Kinburn and 128.3 mm in Summerstown.

Residents were asked to familiarize themselves with information about flooding by consulting their local Conservation Authority or Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry by visiting the following website: Ontario.ca/floods.Tropical Storm Debby swirled over Georgia and Carolinas on Wednesday. Some coastal cities have received more than 30 cm of rain.

"Even without Debby, the system would've brought us some rain," David Phillips, senior climatologist for Environment Canada, told CTV News Ottawa on Thursday.

"But now with the abundance of precipitation or moisture from Debby, we're going to see significant rain."

"Ottawa is used to tornadoes, but we don't often see remnants of hurricanes in the Ottawa area," Phillips added.

The weather agency is expecting the rain to taper off later this evening.

The remnants of Debby are expected to reach New Brunswick Friday night and dump up to 40 millimetres of rain through Saturday morning.

Post-tropical Cyclone Debby is seen in an RGB image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, captured at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024.

Event cancellations in the capital

As a result of the heavy rainfall, the Ottawa Titans game that was scheduled for Friday night has been cancelled.

The rain has also forced the closure of Saunders Farm.

The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival at LeBreton Flats has been cancelled. Organizers pushed the opening time back before eventually cancelling the Friday show. 

The Navan Fair is also going ahead as scheduled. 

Sports fields closed

The City of Ottawa says sports fields, ball diamonds and parks are closed Friday because of the rain. 

Parks and sports fields are scheduled to reopen on Saturday. Ball diamonds will remain closed to allow the infields to dry out from significant water ponding and are expected to reopen on Sunday.

The City is asking residents to avoid using these spaces until they have dried sufficiently and reopened to avoid causing damage.

'Stay off the road if possible': City of Ottawa

The City of Ottawa took to X to ask residents to avoid walking or driving through flooded areas during the rainfall.

"During a significant rainfall, please stay off the road if possible," reads the post. "If you have to travel, use extreme caution."

The Ottawa Police Service also took to X to ask people to adjust to wet driving conditions.

"It's raining, and the roads are wet. Please drive according to the road conditions," Ottawa police said on X.

The city says swimming is not recommended at beaches during heavy rainfalls. It notes that due to heavy rain, wading pools have been  closed Friday.

The city has also shared tips to prevent basements from flooding. The tips are available online.

Weather forecast

Rain is expected to end late this evening followed by a clearing sky. Low 14.

A high of 24 C, humidex 29, and a 30 per cent chance of rain are in the forecast for Saturday. A partly cloudy sky with a 30 per cent chance of showers and a low of 12 C are forecasted for the night.

• Check your local forecast on CTV Ottawa's weather hub

A high of 21 C and a 40 per cent chance of showers are forecasted for Sunday. A low of 14 C and a 40 per cent chance of showers are forecasted for the night.

The average temperatures for this time of year are a high of 25.8 C and a low of 14.9 C. The average monthly frequency of precipitation for August is 35 per cent.

With files from The Canadian Press