Photos: Powerful winds blast Ontario and Quebec, 3 dead
theweathernetwork.com
Sunday, May 6, 2018, 5:18 PM - Half of the country's population was left reeling on Friday as wind gusts in excess of 100 km/h blasted through southern Ontario and southern Quebec, carving a path of destruction along the entirety of the 401 corridor.
The winds intensified through the afternoon hours, as a rapidly-deepening low pressure system raced into the region, allowing winds from higher than usual in the atmosphere to work their way down to the surface. Known as a 'sting jet' because of the appearance of the associated cloud shape visible on satellite - it looks like a scorpion's tail - these winds are some of the strongest we ever see with storms across North America, aside from those in tornadoes and hurricanes. And they certainly lived up to their stinging moniker on Friday.
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At least three fatalities have been reported in the wake of the storm. Two tree removal contractors were killed after a tree fell on the men at 20 Side Road and Fourth Line in the Milton/Halton Hills area.
"Words cannot express the devastating impact the loss of 2 of our teammates has had on their families and our team," the company Miller Tree posted on Twitter. "The loss of our friends has been truly horrific. Our thoughts are with their families and friends. We extend our deepest condolences to all affected by this tragedy."
Hamilton Police also reported a 50-year-old man died after attempting to clear downed power lines from the road. In their release, police reminded people to treat all downed wires as live, and to avoid approaching them.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, 50,000 Hydro One customers and 2,900 Toronto Hydro customers were still in the dark.
"Hydro One has restored approx 370,000 customers across the province," the utility said on Twitter Sunday morning. "Restoration efforts continue as we assess and repair damages for the customers that remain without power."
Scroll down for a look at some of the worst of the storm damage, from Windsor to Montreal.
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