Could a 90-day outage happen in Canada? The longest real outages lasted days to weeks. What the record shows and how long to plan for.
- The longest recent Canadian outages lasted days to a few weeks, not 90 days.
- Quebec 1998: last customer reconnected one month after the storm began. Ontario 2025: about 38,000 still out 10 days in.
- Plan for two weeks. It is triple the official 72 hours and covers the worst recent storms.
After the "90-day blackout" headlines, the fair question is whether a Canadian household could ever face an outage that long. The honest answer: the longest recent outages here lasted days to a few weeks, not three months. Here is what the record shows and how to plan for it.
Where the 90 days came from
The figure comes from reporting on a Pentagon plan for US military bases, not from a Canadian warning. We cover what was reported, and what was not, on our 90 day blackout warning page.
The longest outages Canada has actually had
Quebec ice storm, January 1998. Hydro-Québec reports that nearly 1.4 million households lost power at the peak and more than three million people went without power for several days. Crews rebuilt about 3,000 km of lines, and the last customer was reconnected one month after the storm began.
Ontario ice storm, March 2025. About one million customers lost power after the storm that started on March 28. Ten days later, on April 7, just over 38,000 customers were still without power, according to The Weather Network. Hydro One identified more than 2,300 broken poles.
The pattern: most people are back within days, but a smaller group can wait a week or more, usually in rural areas where lines are long and damage is spread out.
What this means for planning
| Outage length | How likely in Canada | What to have |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 72 hours | Common | Water, no-cook food, light, a charged phone. Official guidance is at least 72 hours. |
| 1 to 2 weeks | Happens after major ice storms | A second source of heat, a bigger water store, a way to keep medicine and a few devices powered |
| A month or more | Rare, last seen in a few places in 1998 | Plan to move to family, a hotel or a shelter instead of stocking for 90 days at home |
| 90 days | No Canadian warning found | Not a realistic household target |
For most households the useful target is two weeks. That is three times the official minimum and covers the longest recent storms. Use the outage planner to count your water, food and battery needs, and read our guide to a week-long outage.
If you want to go further
If you still want a longer plan, our 90 day preparedness plan builds in stages from 72 hours to 3 months so you can stop at any step. Start with water: see how much water to store. For power, size your battery to essentials only with the sizing guide.
If an ice storm is the risk where you live
Ice storms are the main cause of the longest Canadian outages. See our ice storm guide and the typical outage lengths page.
Quick answers
Could Canada have a 90 day power outage?
We found no record of one. The longest recent outages, after the 1998 Quebec and 2025 Ontario ice storms, lasted days to roughly a month for the last customers.
How long should I plan to be without power?
Official guidance is at least 72 hours. Two weeks is a practical target if you live where ice storms or long rural outages happen.
Is a 90 day plan worth it?
Only if you want to. Most households are better off covering two weeks well than three months badly. Our 90 day plan is built in stages so you can stop early.