Hydro poles downed by lightning in Springwater

Like this Ottawa storm, a severe thunderstorm damaged three hydro poles and left area residents without power on Crossland Road Wed. June 1. (Submitted Andrew Forcier)

Lightning took out three hydro poles in Springwater early Wednesday morning.

Winds expected to gust up to 90 km/h, and heavy rain, thunder, and lightning lit up the dawn as the storm raced across Central Ontario.

During the height of the storm in Springwater, shortly before 7 a.m., traffic lights were dark, and three hydro poles on Crossland Road south of Highway 92 were destroyed.

"The poles were damaged due to lightning in the area," said Hydro One spokesperson Alicia Sayers.

Initially, 154 customers were without power, she said.

"Crews are still on-site, and the power has been restored to the majority of customers,” Sayers said shortly before 9 a.m.

About 35 residents and businesses are expected to be without power until approximately 2 p.m., when the repair should be completed.

Three new hydro poles will replace the trio destroyed in the storm as soon as possible, she said.

“We encourage customers to visit our Hydro One website and look under outages for more information,” she said, adding the page is refreshed every 10 minutes to keep people updated.

Across the region, 17 residents were without power in Stayner, and an additional dozen were affected in Collingwood.