Tens of thousands without power in Ontario and Quebec after severe thunderstorms, tornado warnings

The risk of tornados has passed, but severe thunderstorms across Ontario and Quebec left tens of thousands without power Friday after the region saw dozens of severe weather alerts.

Provincial hydro authorities report that, collectively, more than 65,000 customers in Ontario and Quebec have been affected across more than 800 outages from Timmins, Ont. in the west to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in eastern Quebec.

Hydro One, an Ontario provider that serves close to 1.5 million residents of the province across 75 per cent of its land area, reported 688 outages affecting 50,000 customers as of shortly after 7 a.m. Friday.

Minden, Ont. had the most impacted customers as of the update, with 7,216 out of 20,372 residents affected, followed by Huntsville, with 6,686 of 22,244, and Bancroft, at 5,665 out of 27,240 facing disruptions.

Hydro One predicted restoration of power by 11 p.m. at the latest for affected areas, excluding those including Fenelon Falls and Alliston, where damage was still being assessed.

Hydro Quebec, meanwhile, counted 125 outages as of 7 a.m., with 12,503 residents without electricity of the service’s 4.6 million customer base. The largest outages by population included the region of Montérégie, with 7,710 affected customers, Laurentides with 1,647 and Laval, with 1,221.

All related severe weather warnings and watches had been called off as of Friday morning, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

At least one potential tornado was detected by Doppler radar in Quebec nearly 12 kilometres north of Oskélanéo.

This article will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

An emergency alert was sent in Perth and other communities in Ontario at 10:04 p.m. on Thursday, June 14, 2024.

Lightning flashes in the sky over Renfrew, Ont. (Amber Covertt)