Thunderstorms sweeping through part of the province caused a series of power outages and forced the cancellation of shows at the Festival d’été de Québec on Tuesday. In the evening, more than 64,000 homes are still without power.
Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning on Tuesday for part of the Outaouais, the Laurentians, Lanaudière, Mauricie and the Capitale-Nationale region, in particular.
The storm cell did indeed travel through this corridor, confirmed in the evening Marie-Lou Payette, meteorologist for Environment Canada. Hail has been reported in some places. In Sainte-Adèle, in the Laurentians, Internet users have published a photo of funnel clouds that could resemble a tornado.
Environment Canada will need to conduct an investigation before it can determine if there was indeed a tornado, Ms.me Payette. No damage had been reported online at the time of this writing.
Power outages, however, swept across the province. Around 9:45 p.m., more than 64,500 homes were still without power.
The majority of customers affected come from the Outaouais (more than 17,500 breakdowns), the Laurentians (nearly 15,500 breakdowns), the Capitale-Nationale (nearly 12,000 breakdowns) and Lanaudière (nearly 8,500 breakdowns). Homes are also without electricity in Centre-du-Québec, Mauricie, Montérégie and Montreal.