Spring snowfall causes more than 275,000 power outages

Many Quebecers wake up under a white carpet this Thursday morning… and in the dark. A low pressure system expected to drop 15 to 25 centimeters of snow is currently sweeping the south of the province, causing numerous power outages and school closures.

Around 7:25 a.m., Hydro-Québec reported that more than 275,000 of its customers were without electricity, including 77,589 in Montreal and 86,096 in the Laurentians. In Montérégie, the outages affected 36,026 subscribers of the state company, while in Outaouais, there were 24,194 who did not have access to power.

Residents of Laval (21,633), Lanaudière (18,559) and Estrie (8,792) were also affected by the outages.

Consult the status of the Hydro-Québec network

The snow that fell overnight also led to the closure of many schools, particularly in Outaouais, Laval and the Laurentians.

In an advisory published Wednesday, Environment Canada warned that the system could leave up to 20 cm of snow by Thursday evening in Outaouais, Montreal, Montérégie, the Laurentians and Lanaudière. In Estrie, accumulations could reach 25 cm.

Consult Environment Canada’s forecasts

A first tranche of 5 to 10 cm was expected during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. The rest was expected to fall during the day, before the system continues its path towards the center and east of the province, as well as towards the Maritimes.

In an interview, Environment Canada meteorologist Michèle Fleury clarified on Wednesday that since temperatures will hover around the freezing point, “it’s still going to be heavy snow, a bit like slush or slush.”

Therefore, more difficult road conditions are expected for the Thursday morning rush hour, especially in a context where summer tires have been authorized on the roads since March 15.

Consult the state of the road network

For its part, Hydro-Québec reminded that heavy snow can cause trees and branches to come into contact with wires or fall onto the network, causing breakage.

“Our teams are mobilized and ready to intervene,” assured the state company on social networks.

According to M^me Fleury, even if many people would have done without this winter wink, nothing is out of normal at this time of the year.

“It’s definitely a type of storm that you can see in April, especially since it’s still the first days of April. We are still within climatic normals,” she mentioned.

In Ontario, Hydro One reported Thursday morning that more than 46,000 of its customers were facing an outage, but that its teams had already restored power to approximately 125,000 of its subscribers.