Dangerous thunderstorms and risk of tornadoes in Quebec, thousands left without power
Posted April 29, 2025 9:48 pm.
Last Updated April 29, 2025 11:03 pm.
Weather conditions are favourable for the formation of dangerous thunderstorms that could produce damage-causing gusts and even tornadoes in certain regions north and south of the St. Lawrence River, due to sudden temperature variations.
Environment Canada issued several wind and freezing rain warnings and severe thunderstorm watches on Tuesday afternoon.
Conditions are favourable for the formation of tornadoes in the Laval, Laurentides, Lanaudière, Outaouais, and Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions, as well as in Centre-du-Québec, Chaudière-Appalaches, and parts of Montérégie and Estrie.
“There are winds from the south, in southern Quebec, bringing a mass of warm air for this time of year’ and “there is a cold front further north, coming from Abitibi, bringing much colder weather southwards,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Peter Kimbell, adding in the early afternoon that the risk of a tornado was low.
The temperature, which was hovering above 20 degrees Celsius on Tuesday afternoon in some areas, is expected to drop rapidly to near freezing on Wednesday morning.
“Before the change, this afternoon and this evening, before the arrival of the cold front, we have an unstable air mass, so thunderstorms have already developed and will continue to develop during the afternoon and evening. These thunderstorms are potentially violent,” explained the Environment Canada meteorologist.
In Gatineau, the federal agency indicated that the region could experience “destructive gusts to 110 km/h” and “large hail up to 4 cm in diameter.”
In the Rouyn area, between 10 and 20 millimetres of rain are expected, while “temperatures will drop very quickly to near freezing as a cold front passes through, and the rain will turn to freezing rain,” warned Environment Canada.
At around 8 p.m., Hydro-Québec reported that more than 100,000 Quebec households were without power, mainly in regions also affected by Environment Canada’s warnings.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
