Key takeaways:
- As lightning hit, thunder roared, and hail fell from furious skies, thousands lost power in specific areas.
- Montreal was smashed by heavy rainfall and hail Thursday afternoon.
- Water pooled on De Lorimier Avenue.
Tens of thousands of Hydro-Québec customers lost electricity in southern Quebec Thursday afternoon as intense thunderstorms swept through specific areas with heavy downpours, hail, strong winds, and lightning.
Before the storm pounded, Environment Canada had alerted that a “very damaging thunderstorm” that produced destructive wind blows, hail, and hefty rain was on the way.
“This is a difficult and potentially life-threatening condition,” the warning said.
“Huge hail can break windows, ruin property and cars and cause a life-threatening injury.
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Widespread and powerful wind gusts can crush buildings with tornado-like damage, flatten large stands of trees and blow cars off the road.”
Other parts warned of a severe thunderstorm had Drummondville, Gatineau, Lachute, Lanaudière, Mauricie, Mont-Laurier and Quebec City.
By about 5 p.m., some 34,000 Hydro-Québec consumers were without power.
Almost 13,000 customers were in the Laurentians, while some 8,000 were in Montreal and another 7,000 were on the city’s South Shore.
Source – cbc.ca
