Storm leaves 137,000 without power across Quebec as heat wave peaks Friday
Heavy winds and lightning Thursday night knocked out power in the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Montreal and Laval, with some areas still struggling Friday noon.
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A severe thunderstorm swept across Quebec Thursday evening, leaving over 137,000 customers without power by 9 p.m. Heavy winds and lightning knocked down trees and branches, causing widespread outages as the heat wave continued gripping southern Quebec.
The Laurentians region was hardest hit with nearly 40,000 outages Thursday evening, followed by Lanaudière with more than 22,000. Montreal saw over 9,000 households affected, while Laval recorded more than 13,000 outages.
According to Hydro-Québec spokesperson Audrey St-Pierre, "Thunderstorm cells swept across several regions of Quebec late yesterday afternoon and evening. Outages were caused primarily by strong wind and lightning."
By noon Friday, restoration efforts had reduced the numbers substantially. The Laurentians dropped to over 14,000 outages and Lanaudière to 10,000. A tent in the Assomption area also collapsed due to the storm.
The outages hit as temperatures peaked across the region, creating dangerous conditions for residents without air conditioning or refrigeration.
