Howling winds are capping off a day of strange weather in Toronto that saw rainfall, sunshine and a new temperature record for the day.
There are multiple reports of power outages and blowing debris in the city as the GTA remains under a wind warning issued by Environment Canada that stretches from Windsor to Kingston.
The agency said Monday afternoon that strong winds of 60 to 70 kilometres per hour are expected across much of southern Ontario, with gusts of 90 to 100 kilometres possible in some areas.
“These winds will be strong enough to cause some tree damage, with a few power outages possible as a result,” Environment Canada said in statement. “The strong and gusty winds will also result in difficult driving conditions, especially on highways exposed to strong cross winds.”
As of 8 p.m., Toronto Hydro said approximately 10,000 customers were without power in the city’s north and west ends.
“At this time, Toronto Hydro is conducting damage assessments, triage, and repairs where safe,” a release issued said. “Crews will be focusing their initial efforts on public safety calls such as wires down.
“Weather permitting, the majority of these customers will hopefully be restored sometime this evening. As part of the restoration protocol, Toronto Hydro will restore the largest groups of customers first, and then work to restore the smaller, more localized outages.”
In a tweet sent out shortly after 8:30 p.m., Hydro One said 87,000 of its customers were without power.
Toronto Fire Services reported receiving multiple calls about downed power wires and Ontario Provincial Police said they had received numerous reports of wind-strewn debris obstructing highways.
The high winds come on the heels of new temperature record for the city. A record of 18 C was recorded in the city Monday, beating a previous record high of 15 C set this day in 1946.
However in another twist, temperatures in the province are expected to plummet overnight.
“Winter will return quickly tonight with temperatures in the wake of the front falling to just below freezing tonight, except in eastern Ontario where they will drop to the low single digits,” Environment Canada said. “The return of colder air will result in the lake effect snow machine starting up tonight, with flurries to the lee of the great lakes developing tonight.”
In Toronto, the temperature is expected to drop down to a low of 1 C Monday night. A high of 2 C is expected Tuesday with a 30 per cent chance of flurries.
