Christmas Day windstorm leaves some 28,000 customers without power in B.C.

Power restoration work is underway in British Columbia on Tuesday after heavy rains and strong winds in parts of the province left thousands of households without power.

B.C. Hydro says in a statement that at its peak around 2 a.m. PT, the Christmas windstorm caused outages for some 28,000 customers on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland and the Gulf Islands.

By 3 p.m. PT Tuesday, the utility's online outage map showed that number had gone down to around 3,600 customers who were affected, with more than 2,200 of them in northern Vancouver Island.

B.C. Hydro said crews in the Vancouver Island region continue to make "steady progress on outrage restoration" after performing a helicopter patrol and finding fallen trees caused significant damage.

The Crown corporation said customers in the Zeballos area, a village on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, will still be without power Tuesday night, and crews anticipate power returning by Wednesday afternoon.

B.C. Hydro says the vast majority of customers are expected to have their power restored sometime on Tuesday.

The utility said the wind caused falling trees and branches to knock down wires, and it is warning people to stay 10 metres back and dial 911 if they see a downed or damaged power line.

Meanwhile, a ski resort on Vancouver Island is also warning visitors that there is no internet and cellular service at the resort due to a damaged cable.

Mount Washington Alpine Resort said in a post on its website Tuesday that calls to its call centre have been affected.

It said Telus has dispatched a crew to resolve the issue and they will keep visitors posted.

Environment Canada is advising people in the northern part of Vancouver Island and the central coast region of B.C. to brace for another round of "very strong winds" forecast for Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.

The agency says residents can expect to see southeast winds of 60 km/h, gusting to 120 km/h.

"The front will go by Wednesday night," said Environment Canada meteorologist Ross Macdonald. "By the time we get to Thursday morning, we'll start to see the wind certainly come down."

Macdonald says the storm will hit the west and north portions of Vancouver Island the hardest, along with the North and Central Coasts and Haida Gwaii.

It says loose objects could be whipped up by the gusty winds and cause injuries or property damage. The high winds could also lead to more fallen tree branches and power outages.

A flood watch the provincial River Forecast Centre issued Monday for the north, central and western portions of Vancouver Island remained in effect on Tuesday. A high streamflow advisory is also in place for the rest of the island and the Lower Mainland, including the Fraser Valley.

Rising river levels created by Monday's storm were expected to result in peak river flows on Tuesday and into Wednesday, the advisory said.