Freezing rain leaves thousands of Hydro-Québec customers without electricity

More than 60,000 Hydro-Québec customers were without power Monday morning due to power outages resulting from freezing rain that fell in the last few hours.

After sweeping across Ontario on Saturday, the weather system made its way into Quebec on Sunday. According to Environment Canada, it was expected to leave five to 10 millimeters of freezing rain in the southern part of the province.

At around 10 a.m. on Monday, Hydro-Québec reported that nearly 62,000 addresses were without power. Almost all the outages were in the Laurentians and Lanaudière regions. By 3 p.m., the number was down to about 30,000 customers still in the dark, and just under 18,500 by 4:30 p.m.

“We’re seeing around 25,000 customers without power in these two regions due to the ice (that fell) overnight,” explained Caroline Des Rosiers, spokesperson for Hydro-Québec, in a mid-morning telephone interview.

“There was an accumulation of ice on the vegetation, which caused outages on the network,” she added.

To a lesser extent, outages were also reported in Montérégie, Capitale-Nationale, Chaudière-Appalaches and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.

In these regions, the number of outages could increase during the day, as the storm continues eastward.

Hydro-Québec is monitoring the storm’s progress “very closely,” with some 100 teams already deployed in the field.

Remembering 2023

The Greater Montreal region, Outaouais, Eastern Townships, Lanaudière, Laurentians and Mauricie were under freezing rain warnings on Sunday.

For the western and central parts of the province, further precipitation is expected on Monday. Environment Canada expects an additional two to four millimeters of freezing rain.

Even so, the situation remains less significant than that experienced in April 2023, when an ice storm left 1.1 million Hydro-Québec customers without power at its peak.

So, while some local outages could stretch on Monday, due to various constraints linked to conditions on the ground, “for the vast majority of customers, we expect power to return within the day,” mentioned Des Rosiers.

In addition to power outages, Environment Canada points out that freezing rain can complicate travel, both on roads and sidewalks.

For Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and Côte-Nord, precipitation of up to 10 millimeters of freezing rain is forecast for Monday.

In more northerly areas, freezing rain will mix with snow. A warning of heavy snow – up to 30 centimetres – is even in effect for the Chibougamau and Sept-Îles areas, among others.

Ontario got a taste of it

Elsewhere in the country, the freezing rain storm hit Ontario hard over the weekend. On Monday morning, 430,000 Hydro One customers were still without power.

The Ontario Provincial Police announced the opening of warming centers in Orillia and Tay Township, among the hardest-hit areas of central Ontario.

The cities of Orillia and Peterborough, as well as the District of Muskoka, have declared a state of emergency.

Like eastern Quebec, New Brunswick and much of Prince Edward Island can also expect sleet and freezing rain on Monday.

Environment Canada forecasts five to 10 millimeters of freezing rain in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, and throughout New Brunswick.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews