WELLINGTON COUNTY – Thousands of Wellington County residents were without power ahead of the New Year as a Colorado Low hit the area on Dec. 28 and 29, following a Boxing Day winter blast.
Hydro One blamed outages on power lines downed by ice-coated tree branches.
“While the freezing rain has ended, high winds and snow are expected across parts of the province today so additional outages are anticipated,” Hydro One said in a Dec. 29 statement.
Centre Wellington Hydro reported similar conditions on Monday, with several reports of broken tree limbs leaning on power lines.
Hydro workers are investigating outages and working on repairs. Restoration times for outages managed by Hydro One, Westario Power, Wellington North Power and Centre Wellington Hydro vary depending on provider and area.
The county museum, as well as county libraries and learning centres, were closed on Dec. 29 due to weather conditions. And the Grand River Conservation Authority issued a flood warning for Drayton with 30 to 40 millimetres of rain expected into Monday.
In Wellington County, Environment Canada was warning of a cold front bringing 70 to 90km/h winds, snow squalls, a rapid temperature drop, and additional power outages.
Snowfall was forecasted to be upwards of 20 centimetres in north Wellington on Monday, before easing to scattered flurries by Tuesday afternoon.
