Hydro-Québec restoring power for thousands across province

Hundreds of Hydro-Québec crews are working to restore electricity after strong winds caused thousands to lose power in southern Quebec on Monday night. 

As of 6 a.m. on Tuesday, fewer than 10,000 customers were without power, mainly in the Laurentides, Lanaudière, Montérégie, Centre-du-Québec, Capitale-Nationale, and Montreal regions.

More than 108,000 addresses were without power at the height of the outages on Monday at 9 p.m., according to the public utility.

Environment Canada issued various special weather alerts for Ontario and Quebec on Sunday afternoon. It suggested people put away or secure any objects that might be damaged or blown away.

A snow squall warning was also issued for much of western and central Quebec. The greater Montreal area and regions along the St. Lawrence River are under a snow squall watch. 

Snow squalls are moderate to heavy flurries driven by strong, gusty winds that can materialize with little warning and make it very hard to see. Visibility may even be reduced to near zero, says Environment Canada.

Temperatures in affected area are then expected to drop significantly on Tuesday with the passage of a cold front.

"These conditions, combined with strong northwesterly winds, will become bitterly cold over many parts of Quebec," Environment Canada said in a statement. 

A winter storm watch is also in effect higher north in the James Bay area.

"Winter storm watches are issued when multiple types of severe winter weather are expected to occur," said the agency. 

Residents can expect heavy and blowing snow, strong winds and reduced visibility.