Power outages grip Quebec after snow, freezing rain and high winds hit province

In Quebec, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses are without power after a winter storm swept across the province, bringing freezing rain, snow and high winds.

The snow that began late Thursday turned into rain and freezing rain Friday as temperatures rose and winds picked up. Temperatures then plummetted, prompting Environment Canada to issue a flash freeze warning. 

As of 7 a.m. ET on Saturday, Hydro-Québec was still reporting more than 350,000 clients without power, primarily in the Capitale-Nationale, Laurentians, Montérégie, Eastern Townships, and Outaouais regions. At the storm's peak on Friday, more than 10,000 customers were without power in Montreal, but by Saturday morning that number was down to 4,193.

The utility had advised customers to get prepared for potential power outages, and to heat your home a few degrees warmer than usual, charge devices, download anything you might need, and have food on hand. 

Éric Filion, the Crown utility's executive vice president, said power was restored to more than 100,000 customers since the start of the storm Friday, but with the winds and icy weather continuing, more outages are expected.

"What we are hoping for is the wind goes down in the next 24 hours," Filion said during a news conference Friday afternoon. "We are working as fast as we can."

• If the power or data on your device is low, get your storm updates on CBC Lite. It's our low-bandwidth, text-only website.

The situation in Montreal is not so bad, so teams working in the city have been sent to other problem areas, Filion said. At this point, Hydro-Québec expects to have power restored to the majority of customers by Sunday evening, but some in more isolated areas may not get power until early next week, he said.

Hydro-Québec has more than 1,100 workers out in the field, and a team of support staff assisting with dispatch, communications and customer relations, Filion said.

Hydro-Québec will provide another update on the situation at 11 a.m. on Saturday. 

Total snowfall amounts of 20-30 centimetres paired with winds as high as 110 km/h swept the province Friday, with some of the most intense winter conditions whipping through the Capitale-Nationale region. As many as 50 centimetres of snow were expected in some areas.

On Friday, Environment Canada shifted its snowfall warning for the Montreal region to a flash freeze warning.

An additional wind warning was issued at 12:30 p.m. ET for those same areas.

The warnings were dropped by Saturday morning, though Environment Canada still expected wind gusts of up to 78 km/h at Trudeau International Airport. 

Airlines, bus companies cancel travel

By 9 a.m. Friday morning, airlines had cancelled 107 flights in and out of Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, with more delayed. For anyone planning to fly, check departure times on the airport's website.

The Société des Traversiers du Québec cancelled all ferries in Tadoussac and those between Quebec City and Lévis until further notice on Friday, but service had returned to normal on Saturday.

Nez Rouge, a safe ride service, announced it would not be operating in the Quebec City and Lévis region Friday night to protect its volunteers.

Orléans Express cancelled all buses on Friday. The company advised travellers to get more information by looking at the bus line's website and social media.

Flash freeze expected for Montreal

"The temperature will change quickly by the end of the day, and if we want to keep the good state of our sidewalks, we need to drain all the water," he said. "We will have to be very efficient to spread enough salt to avoid slippery conditions by tomorrow." 

About 1,000 Montreal employees were working on the roads, he said. 

"We're asking citizens to stay warm, stay at home if you can," he said. "Those conditions out there are not easy conditions, and it's difficult for everyone to navigate downtown." 

Sabourin is reminding the public to call 3-1-1 for city-related inquiries. 

Highway closures in Quebec City area

As highway conditions deteriorated, Transports Québec closed some roads including the 175 north of Quebec City between Stoneham and Saguenay.

Snow and ice are being cleared from provincial highways by more than 400 crews, said Sarah Bensadoun, a spokesperson for Transports Québec.

"All of our trucks are monitored [by GPS], so we are able to know exactly where they are, what type of operation they're doing," she said. "We will continue doing that even after the end of the precipitation."

Bensadoun urged travellers to check the Québec 511 website and app for information on road conditions before they plan to travel.

Wind gusts reached 120 km/h at Quebec City's Jean Lesage International Airport on Friday afternoon, according to Nav Canada, which owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation system.

Quebec City police issued an alert on Twitter Friday evening, saying the St. Lawrence River was overflowing onto Dalhousie Street. The street was closed in both directions but had reopened on Saturday morning. 

Warming centre opens in Stoneham

Stoneham may also be facing power outages for 24 hours, according to the municipality's mayor Sébastien Couture. 

Hydro-Quebec was reporting 5,341 clients without electricity there as of 1:30 p.m. ET Friday. 

The town will set up a centre to accommodate residents in need until electricity resumes, Couture told Radio-Canada. 

In Lac-Beauport, to the east, where over 3,000 customers lost power, Mayor Charles Brochu said if there are still power outages on Saturday morning, which he expects, the town will prepare meals for residents who need them, and open a centre.

For now, crews are busy clearing branches and other debris.