Ice storm: photos show the damage in Montreal

The mix of freezing rain and strong winds hitting Quebec is causing damage to the streets of the metropolis, such as in show several photos. Power outages, which affect nearly one in two Montrealers, are caused by falling branches or trees that give way under the weight of the ice.

In various boroughs of Montreal, citizens captured images of broken trees on the ground. Some branches even block roads.

Given the difficult weather conditions and the destroyed trees on the roads, the Montreal Fire Department (SIM) asks citizens to avoid travel.

Power outages

Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, more than 445,000 Hydro-Québec customers were without power in Montreal. The situation evolved rapidly when, shortly before 2 p.m., around 52,000 customers were without power in the metropolis.

Across Quebec, more than 950,000 customers are without electricity. Montreal is the second most affected region, after Montérégie. It would be the worst ice storm since October 2019, when 990,000 Hydro-Québec subscribers were plunged into darkness.

Due to the high number of outages and affected customers, it is too early to establish the average time to restore service, although all teams are mobilized, says Hydro-Québec. The state company says to call 911 if you see wires on the ground and above all not to approach.

Street cleaning

Contacted byMétro, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) stated that it received numerous calls in connection with the ice storm, that whether for power line explosions or fallen trees.

In the evening, the City of Montreal ensured that its teams were always deployed on the ground to clear the fallen branches. “As for the branches, we are working to clear the main roads and the most dangerous breaks as a priority,” wrote the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, on Twitter.

The freezing rain episode should end overnight, but branch breakage is still expected in the next few hours. The City will then be able to clear local streets, it says.