HALIFAX — Four people, including two children, were still missing in Nova Scotia on Saturday night after torrential rain caused severe flooding, road closures and power outages across much of the province.

The two children were with three other people in a car in West Hants – a largely rural town northwest of Halifax – when the vehicle became stuck underwater, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) spokeswoman Cindy Bayers said in an interview with The Canadian Press. The other three occupants managed to escape, but the RCMP declined to comment further.

Also in West Hants, in another incident, two other people, a youth and a man, were also missing when their vehicle became submerged. Two more passengers were rescued in this second vehicle.

As first responders and search teams continued to comb the area late Saturday, RCMP confirmed no further details would be released to prevent untrained people from putting themselves at risk attempting to conduct their own search.

“I know it’s in our nature to want to help, but now is not the time,” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said at an afternoon news conference. Our RCMP is asking residents of the area not to leave their homes to search for missing persons.”

Still, Mr. Houston admitted that he couldn’t stop thinking about the missing people and their families.

“I want them to know that we’re doing everything we can to find them. I know the whole province is praying with me for their safe return to us.”

Twice as much as the average monthly rainfall

Downpours began in the Halifax area on Friday afternoon, dumping more than 200 millimeters of water in the Hammonds Plains, Bedford and Lower Sackville areas. The port city averages about 100 mm of rain in July.

Based on radar estimates and unofficial observations, Environment Canada estimated that some areas may have received as much as 300mm of rain in a 24-hour period.

Radar maps show that the heaviest rainfall extends along the province’s southwest coast to a point north of Halifax.

Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Hubbard said the amount of rainfall that fell on Nova Scotia was remarkable, but the speed at which it accumulated in some areas was incredible.

“Some areas of Nova Scotia have seen similar amounts in the past, but not in such a short period of time,” he said, adding that a weather station in Bedford recorded a “staggering” 38mm in one hour and 178mm in seven hours.

“We’re still trying to figure that out,” Hubbard said. It’s so much water. It’s incredible.”

Hubbard said a broader low-pressure weather system over the Great Lakes was responsible for channeling a long line of thunderstorms across the province, which is rare on the east coast.

“It was constantly pumping in this humid air that was sucked in from the south. It had a lot of hot and tropical characteristics, which usually means a lot of water… a lot of thunder and lightning.”

About 750 people had to evacuate their homes in the Halifax area on Friday and Saturday. Severe flooding was also reported in Lunenberg County west of Halifax, where more than 400 people were evacuated.

On Friday night, water levels in the Bedford area rose so rapidly that volunteers used small boats to rescue people trapped in their flooded homes.

In the Hammonds Plains area, northwest of town, flooding washed away the driveways and shoulders of many roads.

This is the same area where 151 homes and businesses were destroyed by a wildfire that broke out on May 28, necessitating evacuations that affected 16,000 residents. And for most of the past week, the Halifax area has seen a sweltering heat dome — a rare occurrence so close to the coast.

“Obviously, a lot of people are affected, whether it’s damaged homes, people whose safety is at risk, or thousands of people who don’t have electricity,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted on Saturday afternoon at the sidelines of an event in the greater Toronto area.

“With the ongoing rains, it’s important to listen to the local authorities who are keeping people safe. At the federal level, we are directly involved with our partners at the state level. We know that there is still a lot to do together and we will be there,” he promised.

Meanwhile, residents of the Halifax area have been warned not to drive on the roads, including several major freeways in the area. There are already more than 30 roadblocks, mostly north and west of Halifax.

A new catastrophe

While official statistics are not yet available, it is believed that the Halifax area has not had this much rainfall since August 16, 1971, when Hurricane Beth made landfall near the eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia. At that time, nearly 10 inches (250 mm) of rain fell in the Halifax area, causing widespread flooding and $3.5 million in damage.

The situation on Saturday was reminiscent of last fall, when post-tropical storm Fiona swept across the Atlantic provinces, killing three people, leveling dozens of homes and cutting off power to 600,000 homes and businesses. Fiona was the costliest weather event in the region’s history, causing over US$800m in insured losses.

“It’s pretty obvious that the climate is changing, with Fiona last year, wildfires this spring and now flooding this summer,” Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said in an interview with The Canadian Press. Events that only happen once in 50 years… we’re starting to have several.”

And the province may not be unlucky as rain warnings remain in place for central and eastern Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton. 40 to 100 mm of rain is expected by Saturday evening.

“There may be intermittent rain during this episode, but intermittent torrential downpours and some overlapping thunderstorms could cause much larger rainfall in places,” Environment Canada said.

Dozens of images shared on social media showed cars trying to almost drive under water. Video from the Windsor Junction area, north of Halifax, also showed firefighters standing on their submerged truck. A beaver was spotted swimming across the flooded road on the normally busy Bedford Highway on Friday.

At the height of the crisis, more than 80,000 homes and businesses in Nova Scotia were without power.

Two emergency centers for disaster victims opened in the Halifax area Friday night and will remain operational as long as needed.

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