Expired News - How the weather contributed to southern Ontario's power outages - The Weather Network
Your weather when it really mattersTM

Country

Please choose your default site

Americas

Asia - Pacific

Europe

News
More than 80,000 people were without power yesterday, courtesy of a messy system. Here's how the weather contributed to the blackouts.

How the weather contributed to southern Ontario's power outages


Cheryl Santa Maria
Digital Reporter

Wednesday, March 4, 2015, 5:41 PM - A messy system entered Ontario Tuesday, creating travel delays and slippery roadways. Numerous power outages were reported across the region

"The causes for the power outages tonight are a result of Hydro One transmission issues, pole fires and system issues due to weather," Toronto Hydro tweeted Tuesday evening.

At the height of the storm, more than 85,000 customers were in the dark. Firefighters scrambled to battle dozens of fire pole and transformer fires across southern Ontario.


RELATED: Messy system hits Ontario


WHAT CAUSED THE FIRES?

Many of the fires can be attributed to a phenomenon called 'flashover' that was exacerbated by drizzle in the atmosphere and salt spray left over from previous winter storms.

"Power lines and transformers are designed to keep opposite charges separate – essentially insulating the electrical energy and keeping it in the right place so we can use it to power our lives," explains Weather Network chief meteorologist Chris Scott.

"When flashover occurs, the electrical energy goes where we don’t want it – arcing across wires or transformers, releasing a bunch of energy, causing damage to electrical equipment and starting pole fires."

Scott says the drizzle in the air and the salt on the equipment gave the electrical current an easier route to travel, creating a short-circuit that resulted in fires and outages.

By 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, about 5,400 Toronto customers remained without power.

Officials hope to have everyone back online by midnight.

Default saved
Close

Search Location

Close

Sign In

Please sign in to use this feature.