{"id":778841,"date":"2026-07-04T01:46:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T01:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/778841\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T01:46:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T01:46:29","slug":"storm-rips-through-laurentians-lanaudiere-amid-heat-wave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/778841\/","title":{"rendered":"Storm rips through Laurentians, Lanaudi\u00e8re amid heat wave"},"content":{"rendered":"

Violent thunderstorms and strong winds swept across Quebec amid the ongoing heat wave, knocking out power to thousands and leaving a trail of damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think to myself, I could have died,\u201d said 12-year-old Charles Plouffe. <\/p>\n

The 12-year-old boy from L\u2019Assomption had passed under a marquis moments before it was violently tossed into the air and collapsed into nearby trees and powerlines. The large tent had been erected for the North Shore Agricultural show, which had finished a few days before the storm on Thursday night. <\/p>\n

\"\"Martine Groseilliers with 12-year-old Charles Plouffe, who was under a tent shortly before it collapsed during the storm on July 2, 2026 in L\u2019Assomption. (Erin Seize, CityNews)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy half brother and I were in the park a little further away when we started to hear thunder, so we hurried home,\u201d Said Plouffe. \u201cWe began to feel the wind and leaves and rocks were flying into our faces. When we got near the marquee, I passed underneath it with my half-brother next to me, then twenty seconds later\u2013 It collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mother, Martine Desgroseilliers, was shaken by the events. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was starting to get worried and I hadn\u2019t even made it to the corner of the street to look for the boys when a wall of rain literally came crashing down; it got very, very dark, with strong winds, and that\u2019s when I saw them appear \u2013 it was so thick that I was struggling to make them out through the rain, even though they were only about six feet away from me,\u201d said Desgroseilliers.<\/p>\n

She added that poles from the tent landed near her car and they were without electricity for most of the day on Friday. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen winds as strong as that; we could hear the crackling of trees as they fell \u2013 at the time, it was quite a sight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Crews seen working on tent that collapsed during the storm in L\u2019Assomption seen on July 3, 2026 (Submitted: Carl Jean-Bart)<\/p>\n

200 Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec teams deployed<\/p>\n

Across the province, over 137, 000 customers were in the dark around 9 p.m. Thursday, according to Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec spokesperson Audrey St-Pierre. As of 2 p.m. on Friday there were less than 22,000 without power across the province. <\/p>\n

She said that 200 teams of workers were working through the heatwave to restore power and reminded the public to avoid any downed wires and contact emergency services if they encounter them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want people to get electrocuted,\u201d said St-Pierre. \u201cKeep 10 meters away from the lines on the ground and make sure not to remove branches that have fallen onto a downed wire.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Laurentians region, with nearly 40,000 outages, and the Lanaudi\u00e8re region, with more than 22,000 outages, were the most affected by power outages. As of noon Friday, those numbers were at over 14,000 in the Laurentians and 10,000 in the Lanaudi\u00e8re region.<\/p>\n

In Montreal, over 9,000 households were affected by the Hydro outage, while in Laval the tally was over 13,000 Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fallen branches seen in L\u2019Assomption after the previous night\u2019s storm amid a heat wave, seen on July 3, 2026 (Erin Seize, CityNews)<\/p>\n

\"\"Debris seen in L\u2019Assomption after the previous night\u2019s storm amid a heat wave, seen on July 3, 2026 (Erin Seize, CityNews)<\/p>\n

\"\"Debris seen in L\u2019Assomption after the previous night\u2019s storm amid a heat wave, seen on July 3, 2026 (Erin Seize, CityNews)<\/p>\n

A Marquee tent in the L\u2019Assomption area also collapsed due to the gusts.<\/p>\n

Charles Plouffe, 12, was under the tent moments before it was destroyed. Luckily he was not injured.<\/p>\n

\"\"Crews seen working on tent that collapsed during previous night\u2019s storm in L\u2019Assomption, seen on July 3, 2026 (Erin Seize, CityNews)<\/p>\n

In Blainville\u2019s Fontainebleau neighbourhood, the cleanup was in full swing Friday morning after residents cleared up fallen trees and debris.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Blainville residents clearing debris after previous night\u2019s storm, photo taken on July 3, 2026 (Submitted by: Mike Varga)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Blainville storm cleanup, photo taken on July 3, 2026 (Submitted by: Mike Varga)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A street in Blainville seen closed off due to fallen tree from previous night\u2019s storm, photo taken on July 3, 2026 (Submitted by: Mike Varga)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tFallen trees and branches seen in L’Assomption, after the previous night’s storm amid a heat wave, seen on July 3, 2026 (Erin Seize, CityNews) <\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

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