The province of Quebec received rain and ice warnings from the Ministry of the Environment, with authorities warning on Wednesday that “a buildup of ice could break tree branches.”
More than 945,000 Hydro-Quebec customers were without electricity at around 01:00 GMT (02:00 GMT today), out of a total of 4.5 million.
“The cuts are mainly caused by falling branches or trees that sag under the weight of ice,” said the electricity supplier’s website.
Nearly half of them (440,000) are in Montreal, where several municipal teams are clearing roads damaged by fallen trees and fallen cables.
Police received a “large number of calls related to the ice storm,” while Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante urged caution and vigilance.
In the neighboring province of Ontario, more than 112,000 customers were also left without electricity due to a winter storm that “knocked down trees and branches of power lines,” according to electricity provider Hydro One.
In the Canadian capital of Ottawa, however, a warning was issued at night.
Source: DN
