More than 200,000 Hydro-Québec customers were without electricity Thursday morning after freezing rain and strong winds knocked down power lines overnight.
Although the province avoided the worst of the expected ice storm, several schools in southern Quebec stayed closed for a second day because of power outages and dangerous road conditions. The Lester B. Pearson School Board, New Frontiers School Board and Centre de services scolaire des Patriotes remained closed, while the English Montreal School Board, Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board and Centre de services scolaire de Montréal reopened most schools, with some exceptions where power was still out.
Montreal and the Montérégie were among the hardest-hit areas, with tens of thousands of homes affected. Hydro-Québec crews were sent out to restore power, but icy roads and difficult conditions could slow repairs.
Strong winds expected later in the day could cause more outages, and falling temperatures may create icy roads. Service on the Réseau express métropolitain was also disrupted during the morning commute because of ice on the cables.
Other regions of Quebec saw snow instead of freezing rain. Up to 40 centimetres was expected in Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles. In the Côte-Nord and Gaspé Peninsula, poor conditions forced some highway closures to trucks.
