'Bomb cyclone' set to bring strong winds to B.C.'s coast, forecasters say
Potential for downed trees and power outages, with gusts up to 100 km/h expected on Vancouver Island
UPDATE — Nov. 16, 2024: Power outages likely as 'bomb cyclone' forms off B.C. coast, meteorologist says
A special weather statement is in effect for much of B.C.'s coast as forecasters say winds approaching hurricane force are expected to hit the region Tuesday evening.
The wind event, known as a "bomb cyclone," is expected to last into Wednesday morning.
Such storms are caused by a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure at the centre of a storm system that results in heavy rain and high winds.
The centre of the storm will manifest about 400 kilometres west of Tofino, B.C., according to Environment Canada meteorologist Ross Macdonald, with gusts up to 100 km/h when it reaches the west coast of Vancouver Island and up to 90 km/h in the Victoria area.
Armel Castellan, another meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the pressure in the centre of the storm — which could drop as much as 60 millibars over a 24-hour stretch — is highly unusual for B.C. and will lead to very strong winds.
"The overall winds will be from the southeast kind of circling around the cyclone," he told CBC News.
"But there will also be a very strong element of outflow winds from the Interior of B.C. towards the coast."
Castellan says that the Fraser Canyon, Howe Sound and the fjords on B.C.'s Central Coast will see heavy winds, something that forecasters hadn't yet seen this season.
CBC science specialist Darius Mahdavi said that the incoming bomb cyclone would bring possible hurricane-force winds in the east-to-west inlets along B.C.'s coast.
Macdonald said areas close to the water in Metro Vancouver will likely be more windy compared to inland sections.
The special weather statement warns that wind might knock down trees or cause power outages and travel delays. It is advising people to secure loose outdoor objects.
Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric and climate sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, said the incoming storm was as strong as a Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane — except it didn't develop over warm water.
"It's far enough offshore that we're not going to be decimated by it," he told CBC News.
"If this was closer, this would cost billions of dollars of damage."
B.C. has been hit by a series of powerful fall storms this fall, including an atmospheric river that caused flash flooding in Metro Vancouver in mid-October, which led to at least four deaths.
A windstorm that hit B.C.'s South Coast last Tuesday led to hundreds of thousands without power.
A lightning storm overnight Sunday into Monday covered parts of Metro Vancouver in hail.
With files from Michelle Gomez, Maurice Katz, Yvette Brend and The Canadian Press