High winds and icy conditions leave many without power in Ontario and Quebec

By The Canadian Press on February 29, 2024.

A man walks through steam in the cold winter weather in Toronto, on Friday, February 3, 2023. Extreme cold, flash freezing and high wind warnings are in effect for much of Eastern Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Extreme weather conditions are expected to continue across Canada on Thursday after a sharp cold front with high winds hit vast areas in Quebec and Ontario, leaving many without power overnight.

About 187,000 customers in Quebec and more than 22,000 in central and eastern Ontario were without power Thursday morning.

Ontario’s Hydro One and Hydro-Quebec have dispatched crews to restore service as quickly as possible.

Environment Canada has issued extreme cold, flash freezing and high wind warnings across the country.

The agency says frigid air is sweeping through Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and most of northern Ontario and Quebec causing a drop in temperatures to -40 Celsius in some areas.

Warnings of strong winds and flash-freeze conditions are also in effect in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador.