Freezing rain leaves thousands without power, downs trees across the region

Freezing rain blacked out thousands of customers, disabled traffic lights and knocked down trees across Simcoe Muskoka.

As freezing rain continued to fall across Simcoe Muskoka on Saturday, utility distributors reported that thousands of customers were without power, while several roads have reportedly been closed.

Note: This is a developing news story, more updates will be provided as they become available.

Power Outages

6:50 p.m.

According to Alectra’s outage map, numerous additional outages were reported in Barrie, with upwards of 10,000 customers affected throughout the city.

Despite several reported power restorations, InnPower’s outage map still indicated several outages across Innisfil, impacting more than 1,500 customers.

Widespread power outages persisted in Gravenhurst, Orillia and townships across the region according to Elexicon Energy and Hydro One, respectively. Upwards of 10,000 customers have been reportedly impacted in total.

According to Lakeland Power’s outage map, the number of customers affected by outages in the Bracebridge area was at approximately 2,000.

5:00 p.m.

Alectra reported another outage that was caused by trees contacting power lines in the west end of Barrie at around 2:15 p.m., impacting nearly 17,000 customers. The outage at the northeast end of the city remained in effect.

Widespread power outages persisted in Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Orillia, and townships across the region according to Elexicon Energy, Lakeland Power, and Hydro One, respectively. Upwards of 10,000 customers have been reportedly impacted in total.

3:00 p.m.

According to Alectra’s outage map, trees came into contact with power lines at the northeast end of the city at around 2:15 p.m., impacting nearly 8,000 customers.

Despite several reported power restorations in Innisfil, InnPower’s outage map indicated several new outages near Salem and Innisfil Heights.

According to Elexicon Energy (Gravenhurst), and Lakeland Power (Bracebridge), widespread outages remained in effect, impacting upwards of 5,000 residents.

Hydro One’s outages also remained in effect for Orillia and numerous townships across the region.

1:50 p.m.

Hydro One’s outage map reported blackouts across Orillia that have affected more than 4,300 residents.

Two outage sources in Barrie reported by Alectra have been cleared.

InnPower restored four outage sources in Innisfil.

12:40 p.m.

Alectra reported a third outage in the northwest end of Barrie at around 12 p.m. that left nearly 300 customers in the dark.

Several additional outages popped up on the outage maps for InnPower (Innisfil), Elexicon Energy (Gravenhurst), and Lakeland Power (Bracebridge).

11 a.m.

Alectra reported that more than 3,000 customers were affected by an 8:45 a.m. equipment failure at the south end of Barrie. Alectra also reported a 10 a.m. outage at the north end of the city affecting less than 20 customers.

InnPower, the electricity supplier for Innisifl, reported three different outage sources on their outage map Saturday morning due to downed trees. More than 200 customers were affected.

In Gravenhurst, Elexicon Energy reported several outages affecting anywhere from 500 to 5,000 customers.

Lakeland Power also reported several outages in Bracebridge affecting more than 3,000 customers.

According to Hydro One, more than 1,200 Orillia customers were affected by outages and many others were blacked out in townships across the region.

Road and Facility Closures

According to Ontario 511, all lanes were closed on Highway 11 southbound near the Bethune Drive exit in Gravenhurst due to flooding.

OPP stated on social media that the Division Road and Burnside Lane intersection in Severn Township was closed for most of the day due a fallen tree and downed power lines.

Several other roads were reportedly closed, and traffic lights at multiple intersections were reportedly blacked out. Drivers are reminded to treat those intersections as a four-way stop.

Significant weather event declarations were issued by several communities across the region, including the District of Muskoka, Midland, Penetanguishene, and Minden Hills Township.

The Town of Bracebridge confirmed that the Bracebridge Sportsplex experienced a power outage due to the freezing rain, and that the Muskoka Lumber Arena was closed for the rest of Saturday.

Weekend Outlook

Environment Canada said this week that freezing rain is expected to continue into Sunday morning, with ice accretion ranging from five to 10 millimetres.

Areas with higher elevations may see freezing rain persist longer due to cooler temperatures, while lower-lying areas could experience a transition to rain on Saturday. The freezing rain is expected to end for all areas by midday Sunday.

Alectra reminds residents to ensure mobile devices are charged and to have an emergency kit ready in case of prolonged outages. Kits should include bottled water, canned food, flashlights, fresh batteries, a battery-powered radio, a first-aid kit, medicine, and blankets.

Public Safety Canada also encourages residents to postpone non-essential travel until conditions improve. Those who encounter downed power lines are urged to stay at least 10 metres away and call 911 immediately.

With files from CTV’s Kim Phillips and Rob Cooper.