Nearly 50,000 without power in Quebec as gusty winds disrupt services

Almost tens of thousands of homes in Quebec are experiencing power outages after being hit by strong gusty winds. Hydro Quebec reported on Saturday that tens of thousands of customers were without power due to the adverse weather conditions affecting the province.

Outages peaked on Saturday morning, with nearly 50,000 customers left in the dark. As of 1:30 p.m. local time, more than 29,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity.

A statement on Hydro Quebec’s website warned, “The strong gusts of wind currently blowing across the province are causing power outages in several regions. Many branches and trees are coming into contact with the grid, and some poles have even broken under the force of the winds.”

The agency also noted that crews were actively working in the field to restore power to the affected areas, with expectations that most customers would have their electricity restored by the end of the day.