Nearly 80,000 without power during extreme heat after storm rolls through Quebec City area
Several thousand customers in the Quebec City area are without power in the middle of extremely hot weather after a powerful storm swept through the region on Monday.
The storm also forced the evacuation of Fête Nationale celebrations on the Plains of Abraham, sending revelers running for cover amid torrential rain and lightning strikes.
At the height of the outage Monday evening, more than 120,000 people lost power. According to Hydro-Quebec, there were more than 77,000 households in the Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches regions with no electricity as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Hydro-Quebec outages
A map of current Hydro-Quebec outages on Tuesday morning. (Source: HYdro-Quebec)
The power utility reported that some households might not get the power back on until Wednesday evening.
ECCC had warned that violent wind gusts of up to 100 km/h were possible in the area ahead of Monday's storm. Quebec City police had to issue a plea to the public after being overwhelmed with 911 calls, telling residents that 911 is meant for emergencies only. More than 800 were received during Monday's storm, 60 of which required a response from the fire department.
The region is under a heat warning for a second day on Tuesday. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued the warning for most of southern Quebec and southern Ontario. In Quebec City, the forecast is calling for a high of 32 C, with humidex making it feel more like 40. The UV index is 9 or very high.
Quebec's Minister of Energy, Christine Fréchette, said in a post on X that Hydro-Quebec crews were deployed to resolve more than 464 outages across the province on Tuesday.
'The outages were caused by strong winds and vegetation coming into contact with the distribution network,' the minister added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
5 minutes ago
- CTV News
Sunny stretch of weather brings above seasonal temperatures to Calgary for weekend
Calgary will finally see a stretch of sunny summer weather. Gina Martin has a look at the five-day forecast from the Sky Watch Weather Centre.
CBC
6 minutes ago
- CBC
Facing dry conditions and low water levels, Bonavista bans non-essential water use
Hot weather, dry conditions and a lack of significant rainfall has one community on Newfoundland's Bonavista Peninsula asking residents to limit their water use. In July, the Town of Bonavista announced a water restriction notice. Last week, it brought in a mandatory water ban to conserve water for drinking, sanitation and emergency services. "What we're looking at now is a water level that's only about two and a half feet above our main intake pipe," Mayor John Norman told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. "So for those who don't really know what that means, that's very, very low. You can look down in the pond now and actually see the intake pipe clearly below the water surface." According to a social media post from the town, residents were told to stop using water for activities such as washing vehicles, watering lawns and filling pools. Norman said every little bit helps to preserve the water they do have. He said people who have lived in the town for decades say they've never seen water levels this low before. He also asked people to avoid wasting water by turning off the taps while brushing teeth, and taking a quick shower instead of a bath. "We're taking the current situation very seriously. Municipalities across various parts of Canada have had reservoirs run dry already this summer," Norman said. In Sunnyside, near Come By Chance, the taps temporarily ran dry earlier this week because reservoir levels were so low. It also prompted the town to declare a state of emergency. In Bonavista, Norman said the town was getting estimates about when the reservoir could run dry, and it was monitored every day. Norman said businesses that tend to use a lot of water were also encouraged to limit their water use, if possible, and visitors were informed about the water ban. While there was some rain in the area, Norman said it wasn't enough to top up the reservoir. He said they will need a lot of rain over several weeks to be in a better position.
CTV News
17 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Downburst' confirmed near Wheatley over the weekend
Ground photo of debris from farm roof lofted up to 150 m SE from the point of worst damage. (Source: Northern Tornadoes Project)
