Power restorations efforts continued yesterday in the wake of a winter gale that plunged thousands of residents into darkness over the weekend.

A presstime, there were about 587 customers without power, down from the peak of almost 6,650 on Sunday morning.

As of 1pm, the number of affected properties had fallen to 506 according to Belco’s online outage map, and the number fell to 324 by 4.30pm.

Phil Rogers, director of the Bermuda Weather Service, said that Sunday marked a “rare and notable cold episode in Bermuda’s modern climate history”, although it did not definitively surpass historical records.

He said that at 2.42am on Sunday, a minimum temperature of 6.6C (43.88F) was recorded at the official measurement site at the LF Wade International Airport, with a slightly lower temperature of 6.4C (43.52F) recorded one minute later on the opposite side of the runway.

Mr Rogers said: “Small hail was reported at the airport around the time of the minimum temperature.

“This event represents the coldest reliably observed temperature in Bermuda in several decades.

“While an official record low of 6.3C (43.34F) from February 26, 1993, exists in BWS archives, that value is disputed due to inconsistencies with hourly observations and known data-quality issues during the early 1990s.

“Fragmented historical records indicate even lower temperatures (6.1C, or 42.98F) reported in 1908 and 1923, though differences in instrumentation and observing practices limit direct comparison.

“Overall, the February 2026 cold event is among the most significant cold extremes in Bermuda’s modern observational record and may be the coldest since the early 20th century, depending on record interpretation.”

The cold and blustery weather continued yesterday with the temperature falling to 49F at about 5am with winds recorded reaching 36mph and gusts of up to 52mph.

In addition to blustery showers, light hail was also recorded across the island.

Mr Rogers said that winds are expected to slowly decrease over the course of today and Wednesday, with the temperatures rising to the high 60s tomorrow.

However, a cold front is expected to approach on Thursday, bringing showers and winds of up to 35mph before easing later in the day.

Shelly Leman, a managing director at Belco, said: “Restoration efforts progressed steadily yesterday, and into the night through often hazardous conditions.

“The teams were able to restore over 6,000 customers throughout the weekend with around 580 still remaining off supply.

“Our crews tended to several reports of sparking lines as well as several pole fires which caused resources to be diverted to these emergencies.

“Pole fires often occur when salt deposits on our overhead infrastructure, such as insulators and cross arms, allowing tracking to occur which can result in arcing or flashovers.”

While Belco crews stood down at midnight on Sunday, they returned to work early Monday morning to continue their restoration efforts.

Ms Leman added: “We have a systematic plan in place with efforts focused on restoring the remaining customers without power, with the largest pockets in St George's, Hamilton Parish, Pembroke and Sandys.”

“I’d like to thank our teams once again for braving the elements to restore service to the island and to our customers for their continued patience.”

Those who wish to report emergencies such as pole fires, downed lines, sparking lines or partial current can contact Belco at 955.

Belco reported 257 customers without power island-wide as of 8.35pm tonight, including 107 in Pembroke and 73 in Hamilton Parish.

This number more than doubled to 574 outages at 9.30pm, 489 of which were in St George’s.

The Bermuda Weather Service reported gale-force winds and 0.34 inches of precipitation, including rain and hail on Saturday.

Maximum winds of 50mph, with gusts of 64mph, were recorded at 10.34pm on Saturday, and 46mph with 73mph gusts at 1.20am on Sunday.