Damaging winds blew through London Tuesday, toppling trees and taking out electricity for approximately 20,000 London Hydro customers.
The gusts up to 110 kilometres an hour came shortly after Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the region warning strong winds were possible. They arrived over the noon hour. The special weather statement ended around 1:30 p.m. for London and Middlesex County.
While the winds were short-lived the effects from them lasted into the afternoon as crews worked to remove trees and repair power lines that came down during the thick of it. London Hydro reported roughly 53 outages, predominantly in the north-end of the city. However, there were also pockets in areas including Byron, Lambeth, Fanshawe, Glanworth, Tempo, Oakridge, Sunningdale, Uplands, and Stoney Creek.
In the Huron Heights neighbourhood, the London Fire Department was called about a large tree that had come down, blocking Cobblestone Drive and severing a natural gas line. The gas dissipated into the air and no injuries were reported, the fire department said. Fire crews were additionally called about hydro poles sparking in the area of Highbury Avenue and Webster Street.
The city reminded drivers who come upon darkened traffic lights to treat them as a four-way stop. Londoners can report a traffic signal outage to the city by clicking here and report a downed tree by clicking here.
