A freak thunderstorm descended on the GTA Sunday night, providing a dazzling light show but also causing chaos and confusion on the roads and at Pearson International Airport where the power was knocked out for a time and flights were grounded.
CityNews Political Specialist Richard Madan was at the busy travel hub when the lights went out at about 9pm and he described the scene at the time, "It's very chaotic. Thousands of confused-looking passengers are wandering aimlessly in the darkness."
Staff managed to get the emergency power up and running, and shortly thereafter full power was restored. However as of 11pm there was still no word on the status of flights. To check your flight status visit
http://www.gtaa.com.
The weather system was one of the most intense the GTA has seen in some time -- with an ominous, black cloud settling over the area at about 8:30pm, obliterating what had previously been a bright sky. Then the rain began to fall and it was torrential at times, causing problems for drivers. Some opted to pull over to the side of the road until the intense downpour subsided.
Vivid lightning strikes lit up the dark sky every few seconds, accompanied by booming thunderclaps, in a stunning display of Mother Nature's force. By about 11pm it appeared the system had moved out of the area, but there will no doubt be lasting effects from this doozy of a storm. Expect the city to be littered with broken tree branches come Monday morning.
To see the latest weather update from
CityNews Weather Specialist Adam Stiles watch the video below. And for updates on Monday, watch
Breakfast Television and check back with
CityNews.ca.