Powerful summer storm leaves 150K in the dark, floods streets in Quebec

Quebecers are surveilling the damage Friday after a powerful summer storm — that produced at least one confirmed tornado — flooded roads, downed trees and left thousands in the dark.

Hydro-Québec says about 150,000 households were still without electricity as of 11 a.m. on Friday. The situation is improving as the public utility said high winds and torrential rain knocked out power for nearly 392,000 clients at its peak in the Lanaudière, Montérégie and Montreal regions Thursday night.

“In almost 12 hours, we have restored power to 49 per cent of customers who were out of service,” Hydro-Québec said in an online update.

“Today, we can count on a strike force of over 800 workers, including linemen, pruners and planting crews. We continue to mobilize crews.”

Citing the severity of the storm, Hydro-Québec said it’s impossible to know when electricity will come back on for all affected households but that its teams will work until power is restored for all clients.

Severe thunderstorms swept through parts of southern and central Quebec, including Montreal, on Thursday afternoon. Environment Canada confirmed a tornado in Mirabel, located north of the city, though there were no reported injuries or damage.

The weather agency said in a Friday morning update that a funnel cloud was reported in Vaudreuil-Dorion and a second in Sorel-Tracy. For now, they remain unconfirmed.

The quick and torrential rainfall flooded streets, highways, sewers and even a shopping centre in Montreal. Environment Canada said 50 to 90 millimetres of precipitation fell in the St. Lawrence Valley, with winds reaching upwards of 100 kilometres per hour at the Montreal airport.

Hail measuring up to two centimetres was also reported in the province.

“These conditions downed many trees and hydro poles and damaged several buildings all over southern Quebec,” the agency said in its update.

Montreal was pounded by rain, with the city reporting that millimetres of rain fell in a two-hour span. The storm flooded 130 homes, downed 100 trees and broke more than 300 branches, according to a spokesperson.

“No city infrastructure can handle this amount of rain,” Philippe Sabourin told reporters.

In the city’s southwest end, some streets were flooded to the point of being impassable.

“Water was up to my ankles,” St-Henri resident Jay Ritchie said.

Montrealers are advised not to swim in the St. Lawrence and Des Prairies rivers for at least 48 hours. Sabourin said the waters could be contaminated due to runoff from overflowing.

— with files from Global’s Annabelle Olivier and The Canadian Press

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