Storm that flooded 1,700 southern Ontario homes and cost $108 million
On this day in weather history, a storm flooded Tecumseh and Windsor.
This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.
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On Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, a strong and slow-moving system flooded areas of southern Ontario. More than 1,700 homes across Windsor, Tecumseh and Lakeshore were flooded due to a storm that started Wednesday night.
Areas in Tecumseh and Windsor were most severely impacted. The communities received more than 190 mm of rain, flooding their streets and basements. Both Tecumseh and Windsor were under a state of emergency.
Tecumseh, Ont. Courtesy of TWN
"Heavy rainfall which occurred over the Windsor area has diminished considerably in strength. However, rain showers and a few thunderstorms continue to spin around a slow-moving, low-pressure system currently situated over the Ohio valley," said Environment Canada.
"This low-pressure system is expected to gradually move northward to Lake Erie by Sunday morning. As a result significant rainfall amounts remain possible over the weekend with amounts of 15 to 30 mm likely by Sunday evening."
Tecumseh, Ontario. Courtesy of TWN
By the end of the storm, Tecumseh received up to 195 mm of rain, more than twice its entire monthly average. Windsor received up to 156 mm of rain, and its 311 service centre line received 1,500 flood-related calls.
The storm caused almost $108 million in insured damage.
As a result of the flood, the area established a $26.7-million flood investment plan. According to government officials, the flood-prevention plan is the “single-largest federal investment in the history of the Town of Tecumseh.”
The federal government invested $10.7 million, and the town contributed more than $16 million. The project involves improvements or construction of four main infrastructure assets.
To learn more about the 2016 Tecumseh and Windsor flooding, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."
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