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, 60,000 or more customers in Ontario and Quebec have been affected across roughly 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 683 outages affecting 54,000 customers as the 8 a.m. hour Friday.
“Crews are out in full force today working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power after severe storms yesterday affected parts of the province,” reads a notice on the provider’s website. “Stay clear of any fallen power lines. If you spot a fallen line, keep at least 10 metres back, even if it does not appear to be live.”
Minden, Ont. had the most impacted customers as of the update, with 7,398 out of 20,372 residents affected, followed by Huntsville, with 6,680 of 22,244, and Bancroft, at 5,701 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 Walkerton, Dundas, Fenelon Falls and Alliston, where damage was still being assessed.
Hydro Quebec, meanwhile, counted 128 outages as of 8 a.m., with 7,000 residents without electricity of the service’s 4.6 million customer base. The largest outages by population included Montreal, with 2,923 affected customers, Laval, with 1,212, and Laurentides with 1,116.
Lightning flashes in the sky over Renfrew, Ont. (Amber Covertt)
Ping-pong hail, risks of twisters
At least one potential tornado was detected by Doppler radar in Quebec nearly 12 kilometres north of Oskélanéo.
All severe weather warnings and watches had been called off as of Friday morning, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada; the end to dozens of warnings and watch alerts from the early morning hours Thursday, late into the night.
Severe thunderstorm and tornado notices came fast and variable throughout the day, with reported risk of 100 km/h gusts and hail from the size of toonies to ping pong balls.
— Evan Finch (@evan_finch) June 13, 2024“>
“This is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation,” read a warning from Environment Canada. “If you hear a roaring sound or see a funnel cloud, swirling debris near the ground, flying debris, or any threatening weather approaching, take shelter immediately.”
Some regions flipped from storm watches and warnings to tornado alerts and back throughout the day as advisories spanned from north of Lake Superior, down to the outer Greater Toronto Area and east into central Quebec.
Some impacted residents received emergency alerts to their mobile devices.
Headwinds on the horizon?
While the storm has passed in Ontario and Quebec, there’s a minor chance that Atlantic Canada may be next to face severe weather.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. is currently tracking a low-pressure area off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks that has a 20 per cent chance of developing into a cyclone in the coming two to seven days.
As of 9 a.m. Friday, neither the Canadian Hurricane Centre, nor Environment Canada’s weather alert system has noted the weather system’s presence.
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.