Swept by violent winds, several regions of Quebec are facing power outages. At the end of the evening, more than 50,000 Quebecers are still in the dark.
Environment Canada issued alerts for several regions of southern Quebec on Saturday evening. Winds blowing up to 90 kilometers per hour are expected overnight from Saturday to Sunday in the regions of Montreal and Quebec. Several other sectors in the south of the province, including Drummondville, Lanaudière, Saint-Jérôme, Lachute, Kamouraska, Anticosti, Vaudreuil-Soulange and the Richelieu Valley are subject to this alert.
Elsewhere, heavy rain of up to 40 millimeters is forecast, particularly in Gaspésie and on the North Shore.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Rain, gusty winds and a few sunny spells gave the skies a dramatic look over Montreal at dusk on Saturday.
In the middle of the evening, the Hydro-Québec network is experiencing difficulties due to strong winds, indicates the Info-Panes site. Nearly 70,000 Quebecers were without electricity around 8 p.m. Two hours later, at 10 p.m., more than 50,000 homes are still plunged into darkness. The most affected region is Montérégie, with more than 21,000 customers without electricity. The Laurentians are in second position with more than 8,000 households still disconnected.
Thousands of people also lack power in the regions of Montreal, Laval, Lanaudière, Estrie and Centre-du-Québec.