More Than 300,000 Without Power After First Snowstorm Hits Quebec

A man cleans snow off his car after heavy snowfall in Montreal on Nov. 11, 2025. The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov

Hundreds of thousands of Quebecers were without power on Nov. 11 after the first snowstorm of the season hit over the weekend.

About 316,000 homes and businesses across Quebec were without electricity around noon after the storm, which created hazardous conditions across the province.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said a low pressure system in the region that began Sunday brought a mix of freezing rain and snow to the southern part of the province. It knocked down trees, created slippery road conditions, and caused schools closures.

Hydro-Québec, the government-owned electrical utility, said the weight of wet leaves and snow caused branches to break and land on power lines.

“The storm is still ongoing, and difficult road conditions may delay the movement of our crews to certain locations,” the utility provider said on its website.

It said more than 1,000 employees were working to restore power as soon as possible.

The most affected regions were Montérégie, Lanaudière, Montreal, Laval, the Laurentides, Centre-du-Québec, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, and Mauricie.

“We are already noticing areas where significant work will be required to clear vegetation and repair the grid before power service is restored,” Hydro Quebec said in a social media post Tuesday morning.

It said because the outage was “extensive” and the storm was not over, “the situation on the ground is evolving rapidly.”

Hydro-Québec said it couldn’t provide times for when power would be restored to each area.

By early evening on Nov. 11, the number of addresses without power across the province had dropped to around 185,180: more than 69,000 in Montérégie, more than 40,000 in Lanaudière, and about 27,000 in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. In Montreal, more than 8,000 were still without power by late afternoon.

Environment Canada had issued a special weather statement before the storm’s arrival, warning that a low pressure system was moving into Quebec and Ontario. In the morning on Nov. 11 it released a weather summary, saying, “In the wake of Sunday’s snow, another snow event has brought additional amounts since Monday evening over the south and the centre of the province.”

The agency said the region could expect about 10 more centimetres of snow throughout the day on Nov. 11, adding conditions would gradually improve later in the day.

ECCC advised travellers that visibility would be reduced at times, and recommended allowing extra time for travel.

Downtown Montreal saw about 20 centimetres of snow, according to the weather agency. The city’s Pierre Elliot Trudeau International airport received nine centimetres.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.