Remnants of Hurricane Beryl could bring 20 to 40 mm of rain per hour in Ottawa

Hurricane Beryl is seen south of Haiti in an image from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration early July 3, 2024. (NOAA)

Remnants of Hurricane Beryl could bring heavy and record-breaking rainfall to Ottawa this week as the storm moves across the southern U.S. on Monday.

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Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for eastern Ontario on Wednesday and Thursday, warning of possible torrential downpours giving rainfall rates of 20 to 40 mm of rain per hour at times, with localized rainfall totals possibly "well in excess" of 50 mm.

The remnants of the hurricane are expected to reach Ottawa beginning Tuesday night or Wednesday, and continue into Thursday.

Special weather statements are also in effect in southern Ontario and southern Quebec, including Montreal and Toronto. Environment Canada says their confidence in the weather system is low at this point.

"Although confidence in the exact track of the weather system is low, these types of systems in the past have given very high rainfall rates in torrential downpours," Environment Canada said in the statement.

Additional warnings may be issued as the exact direction of the system is known.

Hurricane Beryl has brought destruction in Jamaica, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Beryl battered Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane last week, toppling trees but causing no injuries or deaths before weakening to a tropical storm. The storm made a turn and swept ashore as a Category 1 hurricane in Texas early Monday.

More than two million homes and businesses in the Houston area are without power, Texas official said.

With files from The Associated Press