Power was cut off to more than a quarter of a million Hydro-Quebec customers, and the light rail line in Montreal went out of service on Wednesday evening, as a severe winter storm brought strong winds and rain across the province.

Just after 11 p.m., the number of households without electricity reached 250,985, and the number has been increasing every hour since the beginning of the evening.

The Monteregie area in Quebec and the Montreal area were the most affected regions, with power outages affecting 62,000 and 45,000 customers respectively.

Hydro-Quebec said in a social media post that the power outage was "mainly due to branches and trees breaking near the power grid and coming into contact with it."

The post added that field crews are working to restore power and that "the goal is to restore service as quickly as possible. Service reliability is our priority and we are working to minimize outages."

In Montreal, REM trains stopped running due to "numerous power outages affecting Hydro-Quebec," according to a CTV News network spokesperson.

In a statement on X, REM said the restoration time is "undetermined" and advised passengers to take the shuttle buses that were provided.

A video posted on social media shows REM trains stuck on the tracks with passengers trapped inside.

Some trains were evacuated later, forcing passengers to walk along the tracks in some cases to reach the nearest station.

Kevin Dalby was one of the passengers on the evacuated trains. He said the trip that usually takes 20 minutes turned into an ordeal lasting about two hours, ending with walking along the tracks for about 10 minutes under strong winds and rain to the Cartier station on the south shore of Montreal.

He said two REM crew members came to help with the evacuation process, where about 25 other passengers were stuck with him.

He told CTV News: "Okay, move slowly and be careful. Oh my God," adding that he was worried about the older passengers who had to walk in the rain. "I can't imagine that because I feel very cold."

Dalby said he usually does not need a heavy winter coat while commuting because the train he usually takes takes him directly to his apartment, but he is glad he decided to wear a coat on Wednesday as the temperature dropped significantly.

He continued, "I take the REM all the time, and now I'm feeling stressed the next time I take the REM."

A REM spokesperson said three trains were on track when the power outage occurred, around 7:10 p.m. Passengers were removed either by climbing emergency stairs or taking another train at the end.

The city confirms its preparedness for the storm

The City of Montreal said it is ready for whatever Mother Nature throws at it.

The city has 1,000 salt trucks and an equal number of work crews ready to hit the road, if necessary, when the storm hits the island.

A sudden freeze and strong winds are expected as a sharp cold front sweeps across Quebec.

Philippe Sabourin, the city's spokesperson, said Wednesday afternoon that with expected temperatures dropping significantly within hours, there will be a "race against time" to remove ice from streets and sidewalks.

He added, "It is a long process, and it will be a long journey for our crews. We usually need between eight to 12 hours to complete network renewal. It's 10,000 kilometers of streets and sidewalks. So, this is normal, and it takes time."

He said crews will have to work methodically and not rush the salting process too early due to how the weather will go, so residents are asked to be patient.

Sabourin explained, "Especially during the evening, heavy rain of several millimeters will fall, then there will be a big drastic change in temperature. So at first, we will wait because if we spread salt and rocks while it's raining, it won't be effective."

"We need 500 employees for the spreading process. And if we get more snow that they expect at this stage, we will add 500 more employees. So between 500 and 1,000 employees will be deployed."

One of the city's main concerns is falling tree branches, so extra crews will be on standby.

He said in the morning, "We are not too worried about freezing rain, but about the strong winds that can affect trees in Montreal. So we can easily expect to have some power outages, possibly falling branches or broken trees falling. So we have everyone on call the next night to make sure we facilitate every citizen's movement in the city the next morning. But of course, if the situation is not safe, we will inform you. And we ask everyone to be cautious tomorrow."

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued widespread wind warnings, including in the Greater Montreal area, where wind speeds may reach 90 km/h. Cold winds may make temperatures feel closer to -23.

Sabourin added that residents should exercise more caution on roads and sidewalks and use public transport if they can.