Update: Strong wind prompts special weather statement

THUNDER BAY -- An anticipated extended period of very strong wind gusts has resulted in a special weather statement being issued by Environment Canada for the Thunder Bay. 

Wind gusts of 70 to 80 kilometre per hour on Monday hold the potential to cause damage.

Forecasters say strong northerly gusts are expected to last from Monday morning into late Monday evening.

A resident of a north-side neighbourhood scrambled to shore up his fence from his neighbour's side of the property line on Sunday night after wind began to blow it down, popping several fence boards out in the process.

As of early Monday morning, Hydro One was reporting power outages in  the Municpality of Neebing,  the Pass Lake area and other rural locations around Thunder Bay, affecting about 500 customers. 

At 10:30 a.m., A Hydro One spokesperson said there were a total of 11 outages affecting 245 customers, and that the utility was bringing additional crews to the Thunder Bay area.

But on Monday afternoon, over 1,000 Hydro One customers were off the grid east of the city because of a tree on a power line.

Synergy North had earlier reported an outage on Melbourne Road between Hilldale Road and Onion Lake Road, and a second outage between Hilldale Road and Hazelwood Drive, but all but a handful of customers had service restored at some point in the afternoon.