# Freezing rain in Quebec - 1 dead, lots without power - premier hopes it warms up soon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 7, 2023, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294 "2023-04-07T03:07:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/1 "2023-04-07T03:07:39Z")
Hope @Hari_Seldon is okay. > **[1 dead, hundreds of thousands still without power after Quebec ice storm |...](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-ice-storm-hydro-quebec-1.6803351)** > > After Wednesday's ice storm, more than 800,000 Hydro-Québec customers are still without power. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/2 "2023-04-07T05:34:59Z")
36 hours after the start of the freezing rain, one third of Montreal still has no power. Most of downtown is unaffected. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/3 "2023-04-07T07:30:40Z")
Ice storms are horrible. Hope everybody gets their power back soon. Nice to see this sentence (from the OP link): - _**If the power or data on your device is low, get your storm updates on [CBC Lite](https://www.cbc.ca/lite/news?sort=latest). It’s our low-bandwidth, text-only website.**_ I don’t know if this is standard, but I’m glad to see it. When you’re in such a situation, basic information is all you need. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/4 "2023-04-07T08:26:40Z")
There was a storm some time ago - I think it might have been a hurricane? - where people were getting frustrated because all the weather they could access on their phones was heavy-bandwidth fancy stuff. Under the circumstances it might as well have not existed for all the use it was to them. A bunch of other people including me spent some time rendering the information into low-bandwidth text for them so they could use it. Glad someone was thinking about that this time. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/5 "2023-04-07T12:23:34Z")
I’ve never seen that sort of notice before, but yes, sounds like a very good idea. Glad to see CBC providing it. I don’t know if other news media are doing that. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/6 "2023-04-07T14:32:04Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I don’t know if other news media are doing that. CNN does. Although the Discourse infobox doesn’t look like it. > **[Breaking News, Latest News and Videos | CNN](https://lite.cnn.com/)** > > View the latest news and breaking news today for U.S., world, weather, entertainment, politics and health at CNN.com. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/7 "2023-04-07T14:36:21Z")
Ice storms are horrible. A politician who publicly hopes it warms up soon and tells people ‘My message to Quebecers is to be patient’ is an ass. I’m reminded of the Lexington, Kentucky mayor who responded to inefficient street clearing after a snowstorm by saying “Time is on our side” and “It’s worse in Louisville”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/8 "2023-04-07T14:50:13Z")
I don’t think it’s a bad comment in context. Quebecers remember the Great Ice Storm of 1998: it happened in January, and because of Canadian winter, it meant that the effects were felt for a couple of months: the ice wasn’t going anywhere in January and February. Different now in early April. This is exceptional for this time of year, and spring temperatures will mean the ice will go fairly quickly. (Says Piper, optimistically, while looking out at a back garden of snow.) > **[January 1998 North American ice storm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1998_North_American_ice_storm)** > > The North American Ice Storm of 1998 (also known as the Great Ice Storm of 1998 or the January Ice Storm) was a massive combination of five smaller successive ice storms in January 1998 that struck a relatively narrow swath of land from eastern Ontario to southern Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada, and bordering areas from northern New York to central Maine in the United States. It caused massive damage to trees and electrical infrastructure throughout the area, leading to widespr... ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/9 "2023-04-07T15:07:21Z")
A problem with an ice storm in April, rather than in January, is that power-less people can’t simply put the contents of their fridge/freezer outside to stay cool. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/10 "2023-04-07T15:09:06Z")
True! I agree it’s very disruptive. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/11 "2023-04-07T15:44:27Z")
I like that. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/12 "2023-04-07T15:58:49Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > My message to Quebecers is to be patient Patience is important. But publicly counseling distressed people to be patient is face-palmingly insensitive. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/13 "2023-04-07T16:09:09Z")
I disagree. I want leaders to be straight with me. When there’s a big event like this, some patience is needed. I don’t want him to lie and say “It’ll all be right in two hours.” If I’m one of those citizens in that situation, I want a realistic summary of what we face and how long it will be until power’s back. That includes patience on my part. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/14 "2023-04-07T16:58:03Z")
Public announcements from government officials during such events should stress maximum efforts being made to clean up, and restore transport and power. People are far more apt to be patient if they can see that the utmost is being done. “No worries, hold your horses, it’ll melt before too long” just doesn’t cut it. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/15 "2023-04-07T18:38:40Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > When there’s a big event like this, some patience is needed. I don’t want him to lie and say “It’ll all be right in two hours.” It’s kinda like waiting for a table at a busy restaurant. I’d rather be undersold than oversold. That is, tell me it’s a 20 minute wait and seat me in 10 or 15? Yay! Tell me 20 minutes, and you don’t seat me for 35-40 minutes? Boo! But I also prefer that they be as honest as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/16 "2023-04-07T20:47:14Z")
Reporting in. If you looked at the map of power outages my town was almost all black except for a few scattered white patches, one of which was my building. Everything around us was dark, but we had power the whole time. What we lost early yesterday (Thursday) morning was internet, phone, and TV service all from the same provider. We had been supposed to go to a seder at friends Wednesday evening, but that had to canceled because they were without power. Tentatively, we decided to postpone it till Thursday, but their power didn’t come back. So we invited them over here, although not for the seder (we just didn’t have the makings of it) and they came bringing a pot of matzah ball soup. So we had that and I made a large matzah brie. It’s a kind of french toast with matzah and is really quite good. It was funny getting to contact them. Their son had come from New Brunswick to help with and go to the seder. Oddly, I had in my telephone list the son’s wife’s cell phone number, but not the son’s. So I called her and got it and then could call the son using my cell phone, since both my and my friends landlines were not working. When they all came over here, the son took the opportunity recharge his phone and laptop and set up a hotspot that allowed me to briefly connect and check my mail. He showed me how to set up a hotspot on my phone, but while I had cell phone service, the server’s internet was still down and I could not do the same on my phone. Five minutes after my friends returned home, their power went on. My landline was still dead at 4 AM this morning but everything was back to normal here by 7. My friend’s phone and internet were still down at 8:37, but were back by 8:47. This morning we tried to go to our supermarket but, as we got there, they were closing. They explained they had run our of gas. This was presumably to power their emergency generators and, I assumed, all the local gas stations were either out of power or had already sold all they had. Fun times. But nothing like the '98 ice storm. Worse than the great flood from Bastille Day '87. My wife walked home 4 miles from downtown that day (the buses were theoretically running, although the Metro was not, but the traffic jams were incredible with no traffic lights) to find the rest of us listening to the All-Star game on a portable radio. So far, they have reported only one death–from a falling tree. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/17 "2023-04-07T20:51:56Z")
Great to hear that you’re okay. ---
**Author:** ![EastUmpqua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eastumpqua/32/6025_2.png) [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/18 "2023-04-07T20:55:33Z")
> **['This had a huge reach': Climatologist talks about spring storm](https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2190749251933)** > > Environment and Climate Change Canada climatologist David Phillips talks about the strong spring storm and cautions 'we still have to wait to write the final obituary on winter.' Edited - sorry about the adds. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/19 "2023-04-07T21:00:21Z")
Thanks for checking in, @Hari_Seldon. I’m glad all is well with you and yours – phone games notwithstanding! ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2023, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294/20 "2023-04-07T23:20:36Z")
I remember Bastille Day 1987 as well. Seven inches of rain in two hours in parts of Montreal. At work, we had sand bags (usually used to temporarily anchor equipment), and successfully stopped water from coming under our basement office doors. One “depressed” highway had several feet of water in it - firemen had to lower ladders to rescue those standing on the roofs of their cars. Summer or winter - such once-in-a-hundred-year events happen. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-rain-in-quebec-1-dead-lots-without-power-premier-hopes-it-warms-up-soon/982294.md?page=2)