Downpour closes parts of Montreal

Unrelenting rain floods heart of the city

MONTREAL — A potent rainstorm flooded multiple parts of this city, turning streets into miniature canals and causing a quasi-shutdown of the city’s subway system Tuesday.

The afternoon downpour flooded numerous buildings and caused evacuations in several famous ones, including the Quebec provincial library, two pavilions at UQAM university and also, reportedly, at some commercial centres.

The brief but powerful storm saw a sunny afternoon lapse into night-like darkness.

A solid wall of rain cascaded onto the city, eventually gusting sideways in what looked like puffy, powerful white clouds.

The pounding rain overwhelmed the city’s aging infrastructure in some places, with water pushing up through manhole covers and sometimes lifting them up.

People scrambled through the streets, with some screaming as they were pelted by the driving rain and struggling frantically to cling to umbrellas that seemed about to fly out of their hands.

By the time it was over, there were cars partly submerged in what looked like little lakes, while a coat of water covered several subway stations.

At the Place d’Armes metro stop near Old Montreal, the water was ankledeep at the ground-floor turnstile — which is well above the lower-level tracks.

Business people hoping to take the subway skipped, hopped and sloshed through the massive puddles — some while wearing high heels.

Upon arriving, they were turned away.

Fire-department crews were also dispatched from a number of stations, their heavy engines kicking up water in the streets ahead of them like the bows of ships.

There were also unconfirmed reports of shopping centres being evacuated and the police 911 system being overwhelmed by calls.