More than 375,000 customers without power after Ontario ice storm

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After a massive ice storm hit parts of Ontario over the weekend, there are still more than 375,000 homes and businesses without power as of Monday morning. Restoration efforts are underway, but gusts of winds up to 50 kilometres per hour and icy conditions are making it difficult for crews.

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Over the weekend, trees were toppled over by gusting winds and power lines were knocked down, causing serious damage in parts of southern Ontario, according to the Weather Network. Photos and videos on social media showed tree branches and the wires of power lines covered in thick ice, and roads blocked by downed trees.

Jordan Daniel on X called the storm “destructive” and said that the trees snapping sounded like construction. He also said that roads were an “inch thick with ice.” John MacPherson, who shared a video on X, said he had to move his car because ice was weighing a tree down so much that branches were snapping off.

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“Peterborough and Trenton endured more than 30 hours of freezing rain between Friday night and Sunday. Folks around Ottawa saw more than 13 hours of freezing rain — and that arrived after a blanket of snow earlier in the storm,” per the network.

On Sunday, states of emergency were declared for Orillia, Peterborough, District of Muskoka and the Township of Oro-Medonte, in response to the ice storm. Before the storm started, the Ontario Provincial Police warned people about the possible “ice build up from freezing rain and significant snowfall” on Friday a post on X.

An X user, Connor Mockett, posted a picture of a thin tree branch encased in ice. “Very serious ice accretion near Bethany, Ontario,” he wrote in the post.

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Although the brunt of the storm had passed by Sunday, there were significant road closures and detours because of downed power lines and fallen trees, Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a post on X.

“There are far more widespread road closures and outages through central Ontario — I understand between Collingwood and Peterborough, (there are) significant outages,” he said. “If you’re from the (Greater Toronto Area), we’re not dealing with the significant ice conditions at this time, but there’s a lot of water and wet areas and flooding in some areas as the rain is pooling in lower lying areas.”

Several Ontario schools closed due to aftermath of the ice storm

On Monday, several Ontario schools were closed due to the aftermath of the ice storm. The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board said on its website that “all KPR schools, childcare centres, buildings, and worksites, including Education Centres, are closed” for students and staff.

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The Trillium Lakelands District School Board said on its website that “all schools (including the Virtual Learning Centre), education centres, and child care centres in schools” would be closed Monday.

The same was said for schools in the Simcoe County District School Board. The board said that on Monday that the Learning Centres and Career Centre would be closed as well as before and after school programs at elementary schools.

The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board said that schools belonging to the Sudbury-Manitoulin Consortium were closed Monday, including St. Mary (Massey) and Sacred Heart (Espanola). “School buses will not be running, and all scheduled classes and extracurricular activities will be cancelled,” it said online.

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The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board announced closures on Monday for all schools and facilities in all regions, including the Catholic Education Centre for students and non-essential staff.

Schools and board office locations within the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board were closed, as were child care centres.

Certain French-language schools that are part of the Viamonde School Board’s north region, like La Source, Saint-Joseph, Académie La Pinède, Le Caron and Roméo Dallaire schools were closed Monday. Associated daycares and offices were also closed.

Another French-language school board, Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, also had closures of schools in the Simcoe area, as well as Monseigneur-Jamot in Peterborough on Monday. This included daycare services and before and after school care.

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Ontario still under special weather statement Monday

On Monday, Environment Canada posted a special weather statement for Ontario at 9:30 a.m. ET.

“Gusty northwesterly winds resulting in continuing impacts from the ice storm,” with gusts up to 50 kilometres per hour, which they said could lead to “additional damage to trees and utilities.”

X user Yoni Wagner, posted a series of photos showing how the ice storm affected him in Orillia. A basketball net and trees are shown covered in ice, as well as icicles that have formed on a frozen barbecue.

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“The ice storm has left a thick coating of ice on trees and hydro lines. Although temperatures have risen above freezing and the ice may have melted in some areas, strong wind gusts may result in further impacts,” per Environment Canada.

The weather statement is in effect until Monday evening.

Environment Canada has also issued freezing rain and winter storm warnings for parts of Ontario as of Monday morning.

Harsh conditions for crews working to restore power

Hydro One said in a post on X on Monday that crews had already restored power for 460,000 since Friday. However, there were still challenging conditions like the “risk of freezing rain, high winds and thunderstorms.”

They advised residents to “stay clear of falling ice and stay at least 10 metres away from fallen power lines.”

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Hydro One shared images on Sunday in a post on X of crews working to restore power as well as icicles hanging from a thick wire. The company also shared a video showing downed power lines at the side of a road. The surroundings are barely visible as fog engulfs the road.

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Hydro One’s power outage map shows affected areas and offers estimated times for when power will be returned.

For some areas, power may not be restored until Wednesday evening.

Parts of Quebec without power; The Maritimes to get stormy weather

In Quebec, there are nearly 80,000 customers without power on Monday morning, the Weather Network reported.

Customers in Lanaudière and Laurentians were the ones who were majorly affected, with half of the outages “caused by tree branches that fell on power lines after being weighed down by the accumulation of freezing rain.” Other outages were caused by “tripped system breakers.”

Environment Canada has issued snowfall, freezing rain and winter storm warnings for parts of Quebec as of Monday morning.

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The Atlantic provinces are also set to get some stormy weather, according to the Weather Network.

“Freezing rain warnings were issued across New Brunswick and western Prince Edward Island early Monday for several hours of icing that could lead to slippery roads and sidewalks,” the network said.

There is also a flood risk for parts of Nova Scotia due to the heavy rain.

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