Thousands of residents are facing power outages on Thursday morning following a string of potent summer thunderstorms in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. The storms swept through the area throughout Wednesday, with a particularly intense one hitting around 10:30 p.m., causing significant damage.
Ann Weatherdon described witnessing the storm approaching, leading to the destruction of her chimney when a tree collapsed on her home near Merivale Road and Meadowlands Drive. Travis Hartley, a nearby resident, reported hail accumulation of about four to six centimeters on their back deck during the storm.
Environment Canada’s Peter Kimbell stated that the Ottawa International Airport recorded approximately 22 millimeters of rain within 26 minutes on Wednesday night, alongside a wind gust reaching 107 km/h, the strongest since the May 2022 derecho.
Despite an early severe thunderstorm watch, an official warning was not issued until the storm had already commenced. Kimbell acknowledged the delayed warning, noting the unexpected strength of the winds. Emergency alerts would have been triggered by a tornado warning or a severe thunderstorm warning with winds exceeding 130 km/h.
By 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, around 6,100 customers in Ottawa and 5,000 in Gatineau were 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 noted more than 20,000 outages in the Outaouais region. Hydro One reported minimal local outages.
Additionally, approximately 24 millimeters of rain fell on Monday afternoon and evening at the Ottawa airport, contributing to the region’s record-breaking rainfall in July, with about 282 millimeters of precipitation. The severe storms have left many residents on edge following the massive July 1 storm, which continues to impact the community.