Series of severe thunderstorms, lighting strikes and hail hit Ottawa Friday afternoon – Ottawa | Globalnews.ca

OTTAWA — About 4,600 Hydro Ottawa customers are still without power as of 6:30 a.m. after the National Capital Region was hit by a series of severe thunderstorms.

The hydro company says crews have been working around the clock since Friday, restoring electricity to approximately 9,000 customers.

Pounding rain, lightning strikes and hail were recorded across the city on Friday afternoon.

Hydro Ottawa says due to the extent of the damage from downed power lines and trees, it may take several days before power is restored to everyone.

The company says they will prioritize issues that pose serious safety hazards, followed by restoring power to critical infrastructure such as emergency services, hospitals, water and sewage treatment plants, and schools.

Crews will then focus on repairs in larger neighbourhoods of customers, followed by smaller impacted areas.