Heavy rain hits Toronto at end of weekend

Toronto was deluged with heavy rain late on Sunday afternoon, with Environment Canada reporting that Mother Nature could be dumping as much as 40 millimetres on the city and other parts of southern Ontario.

The weather agency issued a special weather statement at 4:21 p.m. on Sunday advising of "local heavy downpours" that could bring 30 to 40 millimetres of rain to affected areas in less than an hour.

To put that into perspective, thats about half as much as the 75.6 millimetres of rain that fell on Toronto's Pearson International Airport during the entire month of May, according to figures posted on the Environment Canada website.

"These heavy showers may or may not be associated with thunderstorms and may occur suddenly," the statement said.

On Twitter, there was a mixed reaction among Torontonians to the sudden arrival of a heavy rain at the end of the weekend. Some people welcomed it, others were frustrated by what Mother Nature was handing out.

For one Toronto resident, the rain gave him the opportunity to see a TTC driver help out a person caught in the rain:

Envrionment Canada's special weather statement said the following areas could be affected by the time it was all over:

• City of Toronto
• YorkDurham
• DufferinInnisfil
• HanoverDundalkSouthern Grey County
• Owen SoundBlue MountainsNorthern Grey County
• BarrieOrilliaMidland
• PeterboroughKawartha Lakes

Environment Canada says the rain may cause problems for drivers and is urging anyone travelling through these areas to exercise caution. It was advising the public to check the weather agencys website for updates.