Giant thunderstorms that swept across eastern Canada on Saturday, knocking out power to up to 900,000 homes especially in the Ottawa area, killed at least nine people, according to Global News.
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Violent winds, with peaks of more than 140 km / h, swept eastern Canada on Saturday from the center of the United States, summarized the national meteorology on Sunday, stressing that it was a phenomenon rare referred to as ‘derecho’.
“This storm was nearly 1000 km long, from Michigan to Maine”, American states located respectively in the center and northeast of the country, stretching through the Canadian provinces “of Ontario and Quebec”, a summary on local radio David Philipps, meteorologist at the Federal Ministry of the Environment.
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
- Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
“It’s called a derecho: a long line of thunderstorms and microbursts,” the renowned scientist explained, noting that “derecho” “is not a word we use frequently, it’s a infrequent phenomenon.
The federal capital Ottawa was particularly hit, and thousands of homes were still in the dark on Sunday evening, while the streets were still cluttered with branches and various objects carried by the winds which in places took the form of a tornado.
“The last 24 hours have been very, very difficult,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, asking his fellow citizens “to remain optimistic despite the challenges” posed by the ravages of this summer storm.
Local authorities said it would take several days to clear all obstructed streets and roads and return to normal.
Some 300,000 homes, especially in the Ottawa and Laurentians regions (north of Montreal), were still without power Sunday evening, according to online readings from local energy providers, Hydro One and Hydro-Quebec.