TORONTO — Hydro One says thousands of Ontario residents were without power Saturday as high winds blew across much of the province.

The electricity distributor says about 5,000 customers were without power as of Saturday evening, down from over 26,000 early in the day.

Hydro One says crews are out in full force responding to the outages, caused mostly by wind blowing trees and branches down onto distribution lines.

It says the highest winds are coming off Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, while it is also monitoring rising water levels in parts of northeast Ontario.

Hydro One says it has mobilized crews from other parts of the province, along with contractors, to help with restoration efforts.

It warns that more customers could lose power as winds persist.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2024

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