Strong winds halted transit and cut power to 87,000 Ontarians in this 2014 storm

Published on Nov. 24, 2020, 11:12 AM

Updated on Nov. 24, 2022, 6:42 PM

At the height of the Nov. 24 windstorm, approximately 87,000 customers were in the dark across Ontario, according to Hydro One.

This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.

On Nov. 24, 2014, strong winds downed a number of trees and cut power to thousands of people across much of southern Ontario. A wind warning was issued for Toronto and the surrounding region earlier in the day. "Very strong, southwesterly winds" were forecast from Environment Canada, and they were gusting near 100 km/h through much of southern Ontario.

The Nov. 24 windstorm caused some damage to buildings, including roof shingles and windows, while loose objects were tossed by the wind and hydro poles were downed, creating the risk of injury or further damage.

Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) were also under a special weather statement, calling for 15-30 mm of rain in some areas. With heavy rain in the forecast, there was the potential for localized flooding in Toronto and many surrounding regions in southern Ontario, beginning on the night of Nov. 23 and lingering into the morning of the 24th.

At the height of the windstorm, Toronto Hydro said approximately 10,000 customers were without power in the west and north end of the city. Across the province, approximately 87,000 customers were in the dark, according to Hydro One. In Quebec, 53,600 Hydro-Quebec customers were without power in various parts of the province on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

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With heavy rain also in the forecast, there was the potential for localized flooding in Toronto and many surrounding regions in southern Ontario, beginning on the night of Nov. 23 and lingering into the morning of the 24th.

In Toronto, police temporarily closed a number of roads. A section of Lakeshore Boulevard was shut down due to flying debris, with trees strewn across roads and a GO Transit train delayed by live wires on the tracks. There was also some damage to buildings, including roof shingles and windows, while loose objects were tossed by the wind and hydro poles were downed, creating the risk of injury or further damage.

On today's podcast, Chris Mei talks about the windstorm, what was forecast for the day and its impact to the infrastructure, which led to widespread power outages and damage.