'We were screaming': High winds and violent storms rip through southern Quebec
A series of storms ripped through southern Quebec Saturday, unearthing trees, causing highway standstills and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
Environment Canada lit up residents' phones with warnings of potentially life-threatening storms, encouraging people to take shelter from violent weather descending across the province's south.
"It happened super fast," said Melissa Dufresne who, on a vacation to a friend's property in Saint-Jovite, Que., found herself in the path of raucous winds.
She had been sitting in a gazebo surrounded by trees -- many of which snapped under the pressure.
"It was like 10 seconds, all this destruction," she said, speaking to CTV while surrounded by fallen trees and debris.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the horses had been gathered safely inside before the storm hit.
"We were screaming," she said. "All the trees were falling at the same time."
Heavy winds felled several trees in Saint-Jovite, Que., blocking road access on May 21, 2022 (Image courtesy of Amelie Fardeau)
Nearby where Dufresne was sitting, a large tree was torn out of the ground, battering down a fence running the length of the property.
Several people wrote to CTV reporting blocked roads and standstill traffic because of the storm. Others complained of power outages and sent images of gumball-sized hail.
Saint-Gregoire resident Nancy Sissy snapped this picture of the hail which fell during heavy thunderstorms on Saturday, May 21, 2022 (Photo courtesy of Nancy Sissy)
By 5 p.m. 200,000 people were without power, according to Hydro Quebec.
"We want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to restore power as quickly as possible," wrote the company in a statement on its website.
The storm was caused in part by a mass of hot air travelling westward through lower Quebec. Stormclouds passed over some areas, while wreaking havoc in others.
That air mass also made for intense heat through the morning in Montreal, with humidex ratings forecasted into the thirties.
Some areas in Quebec are still under thunderstorm advisories. An up-to-date list can be found on Environment Canada's website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.