Half of the country’s population saw wind gusts in excess of 100 km/h on Friday, May 4. The entire 401 corridor was impacted.
The winds intensified in the afternoon hours, as a low-pressure system moved quickly into the region. Winds from higher than usual in the atmosphere worked their way down to the surface. This phenomenon is known as a ‘sting jet’ because of the appearance of the cloud shapes visible on satellites. These winds were some of the strongest ever seen in North America, aside from tornadoes and hurricanes.
About 4,200 Toronto residents were still without power Sunday morning, the second day after the windstorm. Wind gusts of up to 110 kilometers an hour Friday night, left as many as 68,000 Toronto Hydro customers without power. Etobicoke had the highest number of outages.
Environment Canada’s wind warning ended at 9 p.m. Friday. The storm caused the most blackouts in the area since April’s ice storm. Outside of Toronto, the storm was felt as far away as Ottawa. Hydro One reported that they had up to 180,000 customers without power, across the province.
In the electrical industry, we realize that power restoration is not the end of the story. Damage to sensitive electrical equipment is common following power outages. Equipment is subject to damage both when the power drops and again when the power is restored.
The only way to protect your customers from electrical damage caused by power outages is to supply them with surge protection equipment designed to protect their entire facility. Severe weather events seem to be increasing in our market area. Surge Protection can pay for itself by preventing damage just once.
For more information on how to troubleshoot wind damage related power outages, contact us at Innosys Power.
Article References:
The Weather Network
The Toronto Star
