Ice Storm Causes Widespread Power Outages in Southwestern Ontario

A freezing rain event has left roads and trees across southwestern Ontario covered in ice, overwhelming emergency crews with calls from people without power and dealing with fallen trees.

The rain began hitting roads and sidewalks Friday morning from Kitchener to Windsor, prompting police to advise drivers to avoid unnecessary travel.

By the evening, utility crews were responding to thousands of outages throughout the region, including in London, where trees had collapsed onto homes and obstructed streets.

At one point, London Hydro reported over 70 active outages, a number that varied as they enlisted help from the fire department.

“We’re incredibly swamped with lots of trees down on electrical wires, on homes, crushing roofs and so on, mixed in with other calls,” said London Fire Department Platoon Chief Gary Mosburger. “But we’re managing right now.”

The outside of Tipping’s roof in the city’s south end. Tipping says the tree branch poked through the attic and into a bedroom. (Submitted)

Emergency teams were also called out for vehicles stuck in ditches due to icy conditions and rollover incidents near Highway 401. Police had not reported any serious accidents but urged people only to travel if absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, the City of London mentioned it received around 140 service requests regarding tree damage, but that figure likely doesn’t capture all of the destruction.

“While safety concerns continue to be addressed, timelines for full clean-up remain difficult to determine,” a city spokesperson wrote in a statement.

“Significant work is still underway, and further assessments are required in parks and natural areas where damage is also extensive. Complete restoration efforts, including debris removal, are expected to take several weeks to complete.”

Outages continue into the evening

According to hydro outage maps, work crews were active across the region Friday night, particularly impacted was London from its eastern edge stretching west toward Lambeth.

“It’s the wind and the ice,” said Kathryn Arnot, spokesperson for London Hydro. “We’ve had some trees wind up on power lines.”

She couldn’t specify when power would be restored but noted that it was beneficial that the freezing rain had stopped.

An ice-covered tree collides with power lines near Viscount Road and Commissioners Road West. (London Hydro)

“That does make it easier for our crews to get a good handle on where the problem areas are without any other additional ones coming up,” she said.

Environment Canada was predicting temperatures across southwestern Ontario would stay below freezing until Sunday.

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