Toronto under special weather statement ahead of another bout of heavy rain

Before you head out the door today, you may want to grab your umbrella.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Toronto and the GTA ahead of a system that could bring 20 to 40 millimetres of rain to the region by later this evening.

The weather agency says that while the rain will be “periodic in nature with significant breaks from time to time,” it is likely to bring “torrential downpours” at points.

“At this point it appears that many areas will receive between 20 to 40 millimetres of rain by Tuesday evening. However, areas that get several thunderstorms may receive significantly higher amounts,” the special weather statement warns.

Third major rain storm in two weeks

This is the third time in the last two weeks that Toronto has been hit by a significant rainstorm.

On Aug. 7, some parts of the city received up to 100 millimetres of rain, resulting in flash flooding. Then last Friday another round of torrential rain in the city brought about flooding at Union Station, sending commuters scrambling during the height of the afternoon rush hour.

Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said that extra staff will also be on hand at Union Station throughout the day.

“Customers should plan ahead and give themselves extra travel time so they aren’t rushing during wet weather,” she said. “They should check ahead on our website for any delays or warnings. If there is flooding customers are cautioned not to enter flooded areas as there could be dangers such as downed wires.”

Drivers urged to use caution

The rain began to fall in downtown Toronto just prior to 7 a.m. on Tuesday and is expected to continue intermittently until midnight.

Due to the rain, CAA says that it is expecting a higher than normal call volume though it says that delays for service calls are not expected to be significant.

A high of 25 C is expected for today.