Wild "Street Geysers" Erupt in Montreal Rainstorm
June 03, 2012; 6:01 AM
Dramatic scenes of flooding have been captured on the inundated streets of Montreal, following Tuesday's extraordinary cloudbursts.
Powerful geysers bursting wildly from sewer manholes were among the Montreal flooding scenes depicted in videos posted online.
The Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay called the rain "exceptional," the CBC New website said. More than 50 mm, or 2 inches, of rain fell on parts of the city within a half hour Tuesday evening, according to the CBC.
Environment Canada said that parts of Montreal saw up to 80 mm, or more than 3 inches, of rainfall in less than an hour. About 3 inches of rain normally falls throughout the month of May.
Runoff from the torrential downpours overwhelmed the city's sewer system, leading to destructive inundation of homes, businesses and other infrastructure.
"No sewer collector network would have been able to manage the quantity of water that we saw," Tremblay said.
The Museum of Contemporary Art was hit hard, with up to 3 feet of water filling its basements. "Hundreds" of works of rare art were damaged, the CBC said.
Two universities in the city were slammed, resulting in canceled classes and rescheduled exams.
Video credit: MrTabarnaco2/YouTube.com