Tens of thousands without electricity in Quebec after freezing rain warning

People walk during rainfall in Montreal, Sunday March 30, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)

Tens of thousands of Quebecers have no electricity Monday morning after a weekend of rain and freezing rain.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), southern Quebec mostly avoided the ice storm that hit Ontario over the last two days.

Nevertheless, climatologist David Phillips points out a messy week is ahead for Montreal, with more rain expected on Monday and a high of 15 degrees Celsius.

After that, ECCC forecasts a mix of sun, clouds and rain for the rest of the week.

12 p.m.

Homes without electricity now stand at 56,637.

In Lanaudière, 27,705 customers are in the dark, and in the Laurentians, there are 18,431 addresses without power.

The Montérégie region has climbed to 887, while Montreal is now 212.

10:30 a.m.

The number of outages has decreased slightly to 62,682.

In Lanaudière, there are 29,748 homes without power, and in the Laurentians that number stands at 20,711.

In the Montérégie, there are 1,089 addresses without electricity, and in Montreal 182.

9 a.m.

Households without power continue to climb, now at 65,039, with the most outages in Lanaudière (28,795) and the Laurentians (24,789).

The Montérégie numbers have risen to 720, and Montreal is now reporting 134 addresses without electricity.

7:45 a.m.

The total number of addresses experiencing outages has gone up to 62,264, with the most affected regions still Lanaudière (29,140) and the Laurentians (24,728).

Additionally, the Estrie region has 2,232 homes without power and the Montérégie has 667.

6:45 a.m.

More than 50,000 homes are without power.

The customers most affected by the outages are in the Lanaudière (26,488) and Laurentians (25,077) regions.

The Montérégie has 664 addresses with no electricity, while Montreal remains unaffected at zero homes without power.

According to Noovo Info, school transport for the Centre de services scolaires (CSS) de Saint-Hyacinthe is suspended for four hours.

Classes are cancelled for the morning, though schools remain open and teachers are on site.

Daycare services are also open, and adult education classes should continue as usual.

In the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, buses have been delayed by several hours for the CSS de Rouyn-Noranda, CSS du Lac-Abitibi and CSS Harricana.

Buses for the CSS du Lac-Témiscamingue and CSS de l’Or et des Bois have been cancelled for the day, though schools remain open.

Meanwhile, the CSS de l’Énergie in Mauricie has closed most schools, except those in the La Tuque and Parent sectors.