A powerful ice storm over the weekend left tens of thousands without power in eastern Ontario, exposing the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather events and their impact on the power grid.
As of late Monday morning, Hydro One reported approximately 69,000 customers still in the dark, with the hardest-hit areas including Tweed and Bancroft, where full restoration may take until midweek. The outages, largely caused by falling tree branches bringing down power lines, were exacerbated by a second wave of the storm.
“Access issues are slowing repairs, with roads blocked by fallen trees,” said Hydro One spokesperson Tiziana Baccega Rosa.
The storm, which Environment Canada began tracking last Tuesday, brought up to three centimeters of ice accretion in some areas, creating hazardous conditions. While temperatures were expected to rise Monday, strong winds up to 50 km/h posed further risks of downed power lines.
The incident underscores the growing need for smart grid technology, enhanced infrastructure resilience, and decentralized power solutions to mitigate the effects of extreme weather on electrical systems. As reliance on electricity grows, severe weather events continue to challenge traditional power distribution methods.
Source: Swifteradio.com
