Hydro Quebec power outage affects thousands as freezing rain hits Montreal, other areas

More than 74,000 customers across Quebec, Canada were without electricity on Wednesday evening as freezing rain swept through several regions of the province.

According to outage data reported at around 7:35PM, 74,752 addresses were without power. Earlier in the evening, outages had affected as many as 86,250 customers.

The Outaouais and Montérégie regions were among the hardest hit areas during the storm.

In Montreal, power outages impacted 3,517 addresses. Nearby Longueiul reported more than 7,885 outages as the freezing rain moved through southern Quebec.

The storm prompted Environment Canada to issue an orange alert for freezing rain across parts of Greater Montreal.

Weather officials warned that between 20 and 30 millimetres of freezing rain could accumulate starting late Wednesday and continuing overnight.

The severe weather also disrupted daily activities across the region. Many schools and universities in Greater Montreal cancelled classes because of the hazardous conditions.

Authorities are urging residents to avoid non essential travel during the storm.