Thunderstorms, winds prompt downed tree branches, power lines in Ottawa and region

Thousands in eastern Ontario were without power after a severe thunderstorm rolled through the region early Sunday morning. CTV’s Jack Richardson reports from B

A powerful thunderstorm that hit the Ottawa region and eastern Ontario Saturday night has caused power outages and downed tree branches.

Thousands of people reported power outages in Ottawa Sunday morning. At 5 a.m., the number of people who were left without power was 6,000. At 9 a.m., around 3,000 people were without power in the capital according to the Hydro Ottawa map.

According to the Hydro One map, as of 9 a.m., approximately 32,000 people were without power in eastern Ontario stretching from Kingston to Cornwall and the Ottawa Valley.

“We are currently responding to several power outages across the city, a direct result of last night’s thunderstorm and high winds. Causes include tree contact and downed wires,” Hydro Ottawa said on its website.

“Our dedicated crews are working ‘all hands-on deck,’ prioritizing safety, to restore power to all affected customers as quickly as possible.”

Power was restored to customers in the Ridgeside Farm, Marchurst and John Aselford areas (Ward 5) at around 12:30 p.m. Around 1:30 p.m., it was restored to customers in the Cromwell, Colman and Harkness areas (Ward 16).

Hydro Ottawa said its crews remained on site in the Cromwell, Colman, Harkness, Springland, Flannery and Norberry areas (ward 16) until power was restored at 2:30 p.m.

Hydro Ottawa asked residents to stay at least 10 meters, 33 feet, away from downed wires. Residents were also asked to report downed wires immediately by calling 9-1-1 and the electricity provider.

Residents can report power outages online or by calling the 24/7 outage line at 613-738-0188.

Meanwhile, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) asked residents in eastern Ontario to be careful when hitting the roads, citing downed power lines.

“Stay clear of any downed wires,” The OPP said in a post on X.

“There have been numerous power outages reported - if traffic lights are out or all flashing red, treat it as a four-way stop.”

A resident in Mallorytown, Ont., Eric Farrelly, told CTV News Ottawa he lost power around 1 a.m. Sunday. He came by Highway 2 on his way into Brockville, Ont. to check the damage.

“It’s crazy, we didn’t know it was that bad until we got down here,” he said.

“We kind of were awakened by it, we could hear the thunder and saw the lightning. The wind seemed pretty fierce, so we figured there would be some damage today.

“I’m going to miss my central air. We’re supposed to get some pretty bad heat over the next few days.”

Kevin Snider has about 10 trees on his property that were all damaged in the storm, but one sticks out.

“That takes a lot of power to do that,” Snider said.

The tree fell just short of his house, so he considers himself lucky. But the damage has been done and now Snider will start the cleanup process.

“That’s life in the country, right?”

Just done the road, Shelley Shanks is coming to terms with what happened overnight.

“It’s the worst storm I’ve been in,” she said. “The wind was just terrible. Never heard anything like it before.”

Camper seriously injured in Algonquin Park

The OPP said in a release Sunday the storm also affected campers in the northeastern part of Algonquin Park. Two people were camping at the park when a tree fell, seriously injuring one of them. The injured person was taken to hospital by a Ministry of Natural Resources float plane, according to police.

Algonquin Provincial Park said in a post on X last night’s storm caused damage to the park and left most of the Highway 60 corridor without power.

“Phone lines and cell phones may be impacted. The road to Kiosk has washed out. Impacted campers will be contacted,” reads the post.

“The park remains open, but there may be delays. Please consider visiting another day.”

The Northern Tornadoes Project says it has not officially confirmed any tornadoes in eastern Ontario from the storm but will be sending a team to investigate.

“We are looking into possible severe wind events all across central eastern Ontario. One of them being the Golden Lake region, the other being the Mattawa region,” said NTP’s acting director Connell Miller in an interview.

“Those seem to be the two areas mostly hit there. Looking to see if it’s a potential tornado, potential downburst or some other potential severe wind event.”

A team will heading heading to the area on Monday, Miller said.

The strong thunderstorm came as a heat warning remains in effect for the region.

Dangerous heat and humidity are forecasted beginning Sunday afternoon until Tuesday night, according to Environment Canada.

The weather agency warns of high temperatures reaching 30 C-36 C, which will feel like 40-45 with humidex. Little relief is expected from the heat at night, as Environment Canada is anticipating overnight lows of 21 C to 25 C.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Jack Richardson and Natalie van Rooy