Power restored after severe storms hit 60,000 Quebec homes
Wind gusts up to 90 km/h knocked out electricity across the province Saturday. Montréal and surrounding regions among the hardest hit.
Nearly 60,000 homes across Quebec lost power Saturday after severe thunderstorms swept through the province Friday, with wind gusts reaching 90 km/h in some areas.
At the peak Saturday morning, 51,855 Hydro-Québec customers were without electricity. The Outaouais region took the hardest hit with 20,431 households affected, followed by Montréal (11,282), the Laurentians (8,229), Laval (4,926), and the Montérégie (3,817).
Hydro-Québec mobilized more than 140 crews to restore service. The utility attributed the outages to wind gusts, lightning, and thunderstorms that moved through the region overnight. Most residents had power restored by Saturday afternoon as crews worked systematically through affected neighborhoods.
The outages disrupted Saturday plans across the city — traffic signals went down in some areas, traffic lights on major arteries cycling on backup power, and families scrambled to reschedule outdoor plans. It's the kind of weather that reminds you why Hydro keeps those crews on standby.