An ice storm hit parts of Ontario and Quebec, leaving more than 1.3 million homes and businesses without power, hundreds of schools closed and Montreal streets covered in fallen branches. Montreal was the most affected with nearly 500,000 customers without electricity, according to Hydro-Quebec. Transmission lines snapped due to the weight of ice and fallen branches, and about a thousand utility workers are trying to restore power.
Quebec's economy and energy minister called the situation a crisis and said that Montreal is devastated. Extreme weather is becoming more common due to global warming, and some Hydro-Quebec customers may be without power until the weekend. In neighboring Ontario, 129,000 customers suffered outages, and 65,000 Hydro Ottawa customers were without power due to the freezing rain.