More Than 30,000 Hydro Clients Without Power in Quebec After Severe Storms

Quebec Hydro workers conduct maintenance on a residential hydro line in Montreal on May 4, 2026. The Canadian Press/Christinne MuschiMore than 30,000 clients are still without power after severe thunderstorms swept across southern Quebec last night.At the peak of the outages nearly 140,000 customers were knocked off the grid.Audrey St-Pierre, spokesperson for Quebec’s hydro utility, says about 200 teams of workers have been dispatched to restore service.St-Pierre says Hydro-Québec expects power to be restored to most clients by 11 p.m.The Laurentians region, northwest of Montreal, is the most affected with about 13,000 customers still without power.Environment Canada says strong winds accompanying the thunderstorms uprooted many trees across southern Quebec, knocking down power lines.The Montréal-Trudeau International Airport recorded wind gusts of 96 kilometres per hour.