When Londoners woke up on July 15th, 2024, they probably weren’t expecting their morning commute to require swimming skills. A massive storm system rolled through the city, dumping an absolutely wild amount of rain in a short time and turning familiar streets into impromptu water parks.
The storm hit around 9:30 AM, and let’s just say Mother Nature wasn’t messing around. The sky went from normal morning light to “10 PM darkness” in what felt like minutes, followed by thunder that could wake the dead and rain that came down like someone had turned a fire hose on the entire city.
Reddit users in the London Ontario community were quick to document the chaos, sharing photos and stories of their flooded neighbourhoods. One user captured their street completely submerged, joking that they should break out their kayak to match their username. Another showed their backyard transformed into a literal lake, with their confused dog trying to figure out why their usual potty spot had become a swimming pool.
The flooding wasn’t just a minor inconvenience – it was absolutely everywhere. Basements across the city turned into indoor swimming pools, with residents frantically bailing out water with shop vacs and submersible pumps. Some folks were dealing with ankle-deep water in their finished basements, while others watched helplessly as their window wells filled to eye level.
Major roads became rivers, forcing police to shut down sections and redirect traffic. Oxford Street near Proudfoot was completely closed, while Adelaide’s underpass looked more like a small lake than a roadway. The Highbury area got hit particularly hard, with one resident joking about whether they could catch any fish in their flooded street.
Shopping centres weren’t spared either. Sherwood Forest Mall had water flowing inside the building by 10 AM, while sections of other retail areas dealt with significant flooding. Even pools were overflowing – though at least those were supposed to hold water.
The storm’s intensity caught many off guard. One Reddit user mentioned their sump pump worked overtime for over an hour, with water levels dangerously close to the top of their basement floor. Others shared stories of open manholes creating hazardous driving conditions, particularly along Sarnia Road between Wonderland and Castlegrove Boulevard.
Weather reports suggested the city received around 89mm (3.5 inches) of rain in roughly 30 minutes – the kind of downpour that overwhelms even the best-designed drainage systems. Many residents pointed out that newly developed areas seemed to be channeling water into older neighbourhoods, creating flooding problems where none had existed before.
The White Oaks area got absolutely hammered, with multiple basement floods reported along Ferndale and other streets in the neighbourhood. Mount Brydges and surrounding areas also saw significant water accumulation.
Some residents got creative with their flood response. One person rigged up battery-powered water leak sensors connected to their sump pump system, getting phone alerts that helped them stay ahead of the rising water. Another mentioned their recent investment in basement waterproofing and a new roof probably saved their house from floating away.
The storm’s aftermath left many dealing with insurance claims and cleanup efforts. Traffic remained snarled for hours as crews worked to clear flooded intersections and assess road damage. The intensity and duration of the rainfall pushed the city’s storm water management systems well beyond their limits