More Than 300,000 Hydro-Québec Customers Lose Power as High Winds Batter Quebec

Key facts

• Over 315,000 Hydro-Québec clients were without power at the peak of outages on Tuesday.
• Gusts reached up to 120 km/h in some areas, causing widespread damage.
• Hardest-hit regions include Montérégie, Lanaudière, Laurentians, Montreal, Laval, and Capitale-Nationale.
• More than 1,100 workers have been dispatched to restore power.
• Exo commuter train service on Vaudreuil-Hudson and Saint-Jérôme lines faced delays up to three hours.
• A tree fell near the Lachine garage, disrupting service on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line.
• Several Lester B. Pearson School Board schools in Greater Montreal closed due to outages.
• Environment Canada issued yellow wind warnings for Greater Montreal and along the St. Lawrence valley.

Winds Wreak Havoc Across Quebec

More than 315,000 Hydro-Québec clients lost power Tuesday as high winds swept across the province, with gusts reaching up to 120 kilometres per hour in some areas. The outages peaked in the morning, affecting homes and businesses from Montreal to the Capitale-Nationale region. By 8:30 p.m., the number had dropped below 80,000, but restoration efforts continued into the night. Premier François Legault said on X that officials are monitoring the situation. Hydro-Québec attributed the outages to the high winds, which toppled trees and damaged power lines. The utility has deployed over 1,100 workers to restore electricity as quickly as possible.

Schools and Transit Disrupted

Several schools in the Greater Montreal area closed Tuesday due to the power outages, including Pierrefonds Community High School, part of the Lester B. Pearson School Board. Commuter train service also suffered, with Exo reporting weather-related delays and cancellations on its Vaudreuil-Hudson and Saint-Jérôme lines. Some trains ran nearly three hours late. Exo said service on the Vaudreuil-Hudson line was disrupted after a tree fell near the Lachine garage, close to the Montreal West train station. Tracks were cleared around 10:30 a.m., allowing service to resume. However, strong gusts forced speed restrictions imposed by CPKC, the line's owner, causing further slowdowns.

Previous Outage Compounds Woes

The new outages come just days after a separate power failure in the Côte-St-Luc area left thousands without electricity during an Arctic cold snap. That outage began shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, initially affecting about 15,000 addresses, including parts of N.D.G. and Montreal West. Hydro-Québec listed the cause as equipment failure at the Hampstead substation. By Saturday night, more than 12,000 customers remained without power, and the utility warned that some might not see restoration until Monday. Côte-St-Luc activated emergency measures and opened an overnight shelter with the Canadian Red Cross. Hydro-Québec spokesperson Lynn St-Laurent said teams were working to restore service gradually, but could not specify when all customers would be reconnected.

Meteorological Context

Simon Legault, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the high winds are the tail end of a large weather system that brought unusually warm conditions to parts of Quebec on Monday. The system swept across the province overnight, leaving a trail of damage. Environment Canada issued yellow wind warnings for several areas, including the Greater Montreal region and along the St. Lawrence valley stretching east to the Gaspésie. The warnings indicate potential hazards from strong winds, but no severe storm alerts were issued. The winds are expected to subside gradually, though residual gusts could cause further disruptions.

Restoration Efforts Underway

Hydro-Québec has mobilized a large workforce to address the outages, with more than 1,100 workers in the field. The utility said restoration will be gradual, and some customers may remain without power through the night. In a statement, Hydro-Québec said it is in contact with municipal authorities to coordinate operations. For the Côte-St-Luc outage, the utility initially indicated power could return by 8 p.m. Saturday for some addresses, but the outage persisted beyond that time. As of 8:30 p.m., more than 13,000 customers were still without electricity. Other outages on the island affected 2,858 addresses in Dollard-des-Ormeaux and over 1,000 in Mount Royal.

Broader Implications

The dual outages highlight the vulnerability of Quebec's power grid to extreme weather events, both high winds and cold snaps. With climate change expected to increase the frequency of such events, the province may need to invest in grid hardening and emergency preparedness. Hydro-Québec has not commented on long-term measures, but the utility's rapid response suggests a capacity to manage crises. For now, residents in affected areas face uncertainty, with some schools closed and travel disrupted. The economic impact, while not yet quantified, includes lost productivity and business revenue. As restoration continues, the focus remains on getting power back to the hundreds of thousands still in the dark.

The bottom line

• Over 315,000 Hydro-Québec customers lost power at the peak of Tuesday's windstorm, with gusts up to 120 km/h.
• Schools and commuter trains were disrupted; some trains ran nearly three hours late.
• A separate outage in Côte-St-Luc on Saturday left over 12,000 customers without power during a cold snap, with restoration expected by Monday.
• Hydro-Québec deployed more than 1,100 workers to restore power, but warned of gradual restoration.
• Environment Canada issued yellow wind warnings for multiple regions, including Greater Montreal and the St. Lawrence valley.
• The outages underscore the need for grid resilience amid increasing extreme weather events.