Thousands of residents are currently experiencing power outages on Thursday morning following a series of intense summer thunderstorms in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. The storms hit the area throughout Wednesday, with a particularly strong one bringing heavy rain and strong winds around 10:30 p.m.
Ann Weatherdon described witnessing the sudden storm and lightning, resulting in a tree falling on her home near Merivale Road and Meadowlands Drive, damaging her chimney. Nearby resident Travis Hartley mentioned experiencing a rapid hailstorm depositing about four to six centimeters of ice on their deck.
Environment Canada’s Peter Kimbell reported that the Ottawa International Airport weather station recorded approximately 22 millimeters of rain within 26 minutes on Wednesday night. The weather station also registered a peak wind gust of 107 km/h, marking the strongest gust since the May 2022 derecho event.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued earlier in the day, but an official warning was delayed until the storm had already started. Kimbell acknowledged that the impact of the winds was unexpected, leading to a delayed warning issuance.
As of approximately 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, around 6,100 customers in Ottawa and 5,000 in Gatineau were still without power. Most outages were concentrated in the Woodroffe Avenue and Merivale Road areas in Ottawa, and the Aylmer area in Gatineau. Hydro Ottawa reported a peak of over 25,000 customers without power, while Hydro-Québec indicated that more than 20,000 customers in Outaouais were affected. The number of Hydro One outages remained relatively low.
Additionally, on Monday, there was an additional 24 millimeters of rainfall, much of it occurring during storms at the Ottawa airport. July was noted as Ottawa’s rainiest month on record, receiving about 282 millimeters of rainfall, with the July 1 storm leaving a lasting impact on the community.
The recent severe weather has once again disrupted the region, causing widespread power outages and necessitating cleanup efforts by affected residents.