27 water rescues and 170 mm of rain kept emergency crews busy in Mississauga

For the second time this summer, Mississauga residents were hit hard with heavy rainfall on the weekend.

The hardest hit areas got 170 mm of rain on the weekend, while other areas got as little as 6.2 mm, a City of Mississauga spokesperson tells INsauga.com.

This follows the “one-hundred-year storm” on July 16, which brought 106 mm of rainfall in the span of a few hours.

On the weekend, heavy rain caused flooding on roadways including Highway 410, Matheson Boulevard East, Dundas Street West at Dixie Road, Rathburn Road, Queen Frederica Drive and Convair Drive.

“From road closures and increased traffic, the effects were felt widely across the city,” the City of Mississauga said in a press release on Monday.

As of Monday afternoon, all roads were open and flood water had generally receded, the city spokesperson said.

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However, residents are encouraged to exercise caution around rivers, creeks and streams, as they are running high and the surrounding grounds are saturated.

Over the weekend, additional staff members were brought in to respond to the changing weather conditions.

As rising waters once again left people stranded in vehicles, Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services as part of the city’s Incident Management Team, coordinated emergency responses.

There were 27 water rescues over the weekend.

On Saturday, there were 22 water rescues in three locations — Eglington Avenue and Tomken Road; Dundas Street East and Queen Frederica Drive; and Rathburn Road and Centre View Drive.

There were also eight elevator rescues on Saturday due to water in an elevator shaft and power surges.

On Sunday, there were five cars stranded on Highway 410 northbound. Water rescue teams got people out of three cars. One car was not occupied, and in another car the people self-evacuated.

Once people were out safely, firefighters started to clear catch basins until the Ministry of Transportation took over.

The Highway 403 eastbound ramp to Highway 410 northbound in Mississauga was closed Monday morning for repairs due to damage from flooding. It has since reopened.

The City of Mississauga has invested millions of dollars in stormwater management, the city said in a press release.

In 2024, $33.7 million was allocated for stormwater improvements, focusing on projects along Cooksville Creek, Etobicoke Creek and erosion control initiatives.

Since 2016, over $231.5 million has been spent on stormwater infrastructure.

“Our 10-year plan includes an additional $340 million for ongoing upgrades and maintenance to enhance our resilience against future storms,” the city said.

Experts predict more storms due to climate change.

“Every degree of temperature change, even one degree warmer, can impact our environment significantly,” the city said in the press release. “This could mean more widespread flooding with rainfall levels expected to increase in volume and intensity, with more frequent and intense precipitation.”

For more information, see the City of Mississauga website here.