Much of Quebec is waking up in the dark after a powerful spring storm swept through the province Tuesday night, bringing intense winds and thunderstorms.
According to Hydro-Québec, nearly 144,000 customers lost power at the peak of the event on the evening of April 29, and as of Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. , close to 90,000 homes and businesses are still without electricity.
The hardest-hit region is the Laurentians, where over 22,000 addresses remain in the dark. Other major outages are affecting:
Montérégie: 16,596 customers
Laval: 12,853
Montréal: 11,729
Hydro-Québec says winds exceeding 100 km/h caused widespread damage to infrastructure, with many electrical components needing full replacement. Over 500 teams are currently working on repairs, and crews are being moved from less-affected areas to speed up restoration in critical zones.
The utility urges residents to be cautious and avoid any fallen wires or damaged equipment. Updates are being posted regularly on Hydro-Québec's Info-Pannes map.
Environment Canada had issued warnings ahead of the storm, with gusts strong enough to raise the risk of tornado formation in parts of Outaouais and other regions.
Because of the storm, a precautionary boil water advisory has been in place since Tuesday night for residents of Rosemère, Lorraine, and Bois-des-Filion in the Laurentians.
Hydro-Québec says it's aiming to restore service as quickly as possible, but with this level of damage, some outages may last longer than usual.
To track outages in real time, you can consult Hydro-Québec's Outage Info map on their official website.
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