Snowy roads, and power outages: even though it’s only November, Quebec woke up Tuesday to a winter wonderland.
After the first snowflakes fell on Sunday, a full weather cocktail swept across the province Monday evening and overnight, likely disrupting the start of the day in many places.
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Hundreds of thousands of Quebecers woke up without electricity. Around 5 a.m., Hydro-Québec reported that more than 360,000 of its customers were without power.
The Montérégie region was by far the most affected, with over 113,000 addresses impacted by outages. In Lanaudière, nearly 80,000 homes were without power.
Montreal (39,000), Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (31,000), Centre-du-Québec (30,000), Laurentides (23,000), Laval (19,000), and Mauricie (18,000) were also among the regions most affected at daybreak.
According to Hydro-Québec, the wet, heavy snow accompanied by strong winds weakened vegetation, causing branches to fall onto power lines.
The state-owned company said it has mobilized the necessary teams to restore service. Crews are responding to more than 900 outages.
According to data updated Tuesday morning by Environment Canada, most regions have received 10 to 20 centimetres of snow since Sunday.
The federal agency noted that in regions north of the St. Lawrence River, snow accumulated, while to the south, it gave way to a mix of rain and freezing rain.
“Road conditions remain difficult in some areas due to slippery and snow-covered pavement,” reads Environment Canada’s weather summary.
This snowfall comes as many motorists have yet to equip their vehicles with winter tires — which will only become mandatory on Dec. 1 — increasing the risk of vehicles going off the road.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
