Power outages linger after icy weather hits Montreal

A utility worker restores internet to a neighbourhood following an outage as a result of a freezing rain event, in Montreal on Thursday, March 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Hydro-Quebec power outages are still lingering in some areas following the icy weather that hit Montreal earlier this week.

• READ MORE: Hydro-Quebec used a never-before-tried technique to protect the grid during Wednesday’s ice storm

The electricity failures are “mainly due to ice-laden vegetation and strong winds,” the Crown corporation notes. “Our crews are mobilized in the field to restore service as quickly as possible.”

11:05 a.m. Outage numbers subsiding

Power outages across the province are now at 5,485.

Most are concentrated in the Centre-du-Québec (3,437), with numbers in Montreal dramatically decreasing (259).

The Laurentians (421), Montérégie (409) and Outaouais (318) all have moderate blackout numbers.

9:00 a.m. Outages continue to rise

The number of power outages has risen again to 12,631.

The most affected areas are Montreal (4,136), the Centre-du-Québec (3,929) and Estrie (2,079).

7:45 a.m. Outages up slightly

The number of outages is up slightly at 10,487.

Montreal numbers remain steady at 4,043, and the Centre-du-Québec is at 3,899.

The majority of new outages are in Outaouais at 1,254.

6:20 a.m. Most outages in Montreal

At this time, there are 9,569 power outages remaining.

The majority are in Montreal (4,043) and the Centre-du-Québec (4,001).

At its peak, more than 200,000 addresses lost power during the storm.

The hardest hit area, the Montérégie, has had its blackout numbers drastically reduced to 322.