Thousands without power across Quebec following intense summer storm

After a brief but intense storm, more than 63,000 people were left without power across the province of Quebec.

As of 8:40 p.m. 16,866 clients still didn’t have their power back.

The areas that were the hardest hit were the Laurentians, the Lanaudiere and Monteregie regions, Montreal’s south shore and the island of Montreal.

Hydro-Québec says powerful winds knocked down trees into powerlines.

“When they touch the wires, it makes a short circuit so the system protects itself. It’s just like a breaker in your house that flips,” said Gary Sutherland, a spokesperson for Hydro-Québec.

Sutherland says it’s one of the reasons why crews were able to restore power to half of the province’s users in a matter of a couple of hours.

However, they don’t know exactly when everyone will be back on the grid.

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“We haven’t been able to take stock of everything, the storm is still going on,” Sutherland explained.

“We can still have a few surprises during the night, but I think pretty much everything is under control at this point.”

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Meanwhile, Environment Canada spokesperson André Cantin says there could still be some lighter thunderstorms overnight.