Regina residents get surprised with flash flooding after heavy downpour

People in Regina found themselves dealing with a downpour early Tuesday morning.

The heavy rain lasted for hours, resulting in flooded streets and underpasses.

Usually busy underpasses on Winnipeg Street and Albert Street were blocked off for a number of hours, and a vehicle was partially submerged on Winnipeg Street prior to the lanes being closed.

Winnipeg street underpass this morning.

Rain is coming down in buckets, streets are flooding.

Environment Canada told me an inch of rain came down overnight, certainly feels like a LOT more coming this a.m. @CJMENews #yqr #Regina #SKstorm pic.twitter.com/Q41tFRc7Xr

— Logan Stein (@L0ganStein) July 19, 2022

As of 9:30 a.m., the City of Regina said the Albert Street underpass was open, but the Winnipeg Street and Dewdney Avenue underpasses were closed.

Ring Road was closed at Ross Avenue and at Winnipeg Street, with northbound traffic on Ring Road being detoured onto Victoria Avenue.

As well, the Victoria Avenue service road underpass was closed.

People dealt with huge delays on their commutes to work, with many roads looking more like swimming pools.

Michelle Corkish was one of many people doing their best to deal with the wet conditions.

“My drive to work took about double as long as usual,” she said as she avoided puddles. “It was very dicey in spots.

“There were a lot of detours.”

She found herself worried about what her basement could look like when she gets home.

“We have had water in our basement previously this year,” Corkish said. “It has me feeling a little anxious to be away from home.”

This was the Albert Street underpass this morning…#yqr #SKstorm #Regina pic.twitter.com/AkhOv4nhyO

— Logan Stein (@L0ganStein) July 19, 2022

Some people found a way to enjoy the rain, or at least make the most of it.

Chris Pakula was busy cleaning out sewer grates in his neighborhood.

“This is my morning exercise,” he said with a chuckle.

Flooding in Howell Park after heavy rains on July 19, 2022. (Kevin MacKay/Submitted)

By around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, Environment Canada said roughly 29 millimetres of rain — or a little over an inch — had fallen overnight.

Roughly six hours later, the total amount of precipitation stood at roughly 61 millimetres — or about two and a half inches — in places throughout the city.

“With the nature of showers and thunderstorms like this, you usually get very localized amounts of heavier precipitation,” meteorologist Danielle Desjardins said.

“Regina definitely got the highest amount of rain out of southern Saskatchewan, it looks like.”

A flooded street in Regina on July 19, 2022. (Logan Stein/980 CJME)

Desjardins says the potent system brought lots of precipitation throughout the prairies.

For people who prefer the sun, the meteorologist has some positive news.

“As we move on in the week, it looks to be a little bit of a more dry pattern,” she said. “So (there’s) only some slight chances of thunderstorms, but it looks sunny and seasonable for the next week or so.”

The City of Regina is expected to provide more details on its flood response later Tuesday.