Wind warning continues for Kingston region, Prince Edward County

Intense winds are blowing through the Limestone City on Friday as Environment Canada has issued a wind warning for the Kingston region and Prince Edward County.

According to the weather agency, southwesterly wind gusts of nearly 90 kilometres per hour are expected early this morning, with stronger wind gusts of 110 kilometres per hour possible along the Lake Ontario shoreline.

Westerly wind gusts of 70 to 80 kilometres per hour are then expected later in the morning, Environment Canada says. Winds are expected to ease up through the day.

According to Environment Canada, damaging winds may bring down trees and branches. Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may also occur, and high winds could toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break, the weather agency says.

The wind has caused widespread power outages across the province, according to Hydro One. On Friday morning, the utility said more than 98,000 customers were without power due to high winds on Thursday night, and further outages are expected.

Several bus routes are also delayed Friday morning due to streets being blocked by trees and utility wires, according to Kingston Transit.

In addition, St. Lawrence College is experiencing a power outage. The school is asking people not to come to its Kingston campus until further notice.

Due to the high winds, traffic restrictions are currently in effect at the Thousand Islands Bridge.

Commercial vehicles weighing less than 60,000 pounds will be restricted from crossing, along with RVs, buses and empty trailers.

The Wolfe Island ferry has also temporarily stopped operations because of the high winds.

Although the Wolfe Islander III had been expected to return to the area this week, the Ministry of Transportation says the ferry will not return until the extreme weather subsides, which they expect to be sometime next week.

The Wolfe Islander III has been in Hamilton for the last several weeks for routine repairs, and has been replaced by the Frontenac II, which usually services Amherst Island. The Frontenac II will stay in place at Wolfe Island until the Wolfe Islander III can return.

“We need 20 hours of good weather and low winds to be able to make the trip,” and MTO representative said in an emailed statement.

The Frontenac II was also docked in Kingston on Friday morning due to the extreme winds.

— With files from Julie Brown and Alexandra Mazur