Parts of downtown Toronto were without power Saturday afternoon as high winds swept through most of southern Ontario.
Toronto Hydro said there was a major power outage in the Esplanade area of the city, specifically Shuter Street south to Lake Ontario and Yonge Street east to Cherry Street.
According to a map on Toronto Hydro’s website, the outage affected up to 5,000 customers.
By about 2:30 p.m., Toronto Hydro said power had been restored to most customers.
Toronto police also warned residents about several dangers in the city.
Police say a sign and pieces of metal fell in the area of Yonge and Shuter streets, and a tree and utility lines were in the road at Lake Shore Boulevard and Colborne Lodge Drive.
There were also reports of falling debris in the area of Adelaide and Peter Streets.
Downed trees and wires were also reported in the areas of Montgomery Road and Oak Hampton Boulevard, Lynngrove Avenue and Princeton Road, and Sherbourne and Carlton streets.
Police are asking drivers and pedestrians to use caution and expect delays in all of these areas.
Outage Update: Most clients have been restored. Crews continue to work to restore power to remaining customers.
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) December 3, 2022
Meanwhile, a map on Hydro One’s website said there were more than 300 outages across the province affecting at least 38,000 customers at one point Saturday afternoon.
The outages were caused by strong gusts of wind that hit most of southern Ontario on Saturday, prompting Environment Canada to issue a wind advisory.
“Westerly winds gusting to 90 km/h are expected this morning into the afternoon following a strong cold front,” the national weather agency said. The wind advisory for Toronto ended shortly after 4 p.m
Winds are expected to decrease from west to east Saturday evening.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for most of southern Ontario on Friday due to high winds.
The weather agency warns that strong winds can damage soft coats, tents and awnings at outdoor events. Loose objects could also be thrown by the wind and service outages could occur.
Today a maximum of 9 ºC is expected with a temperature that will drop to 1 ºC this afternoon and a minimum of minus 5 ºC.
Saturday is also expected to be cloudy with some showers ending this morning and a 60 percent chance of snow throughout the day.