Power restored for thousands in B.C. after wind, snow blast across province
Ferries cancelled, DriveBC also warning drivers about poor conditions on the Coquihalla
Strong winds and heavy snow are battering British Columbia from Vancouver Island to the Okanagan Valley and beyond, causing ferry cancellations, power outages in some areas and slippery highway conditions in others.
Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for the Greater Victoria area and Metro Vancouver.
Other parts of Vancouver Island, Howe Sound and the Sunshine Coast are also expected to experience strong winds as an intense cold front moves across the South Coast. High winds are also forecast for the Okanagan Valley, Shuswap and West Kootenays.
Farther east, beginning in the Fraser Valley, snowfall warnings are in effect for the Fraser Canyon, Nicola and Similkameen regions. Environment Canada says it expects up to 25 millimetres of snow in the Fraser Valley, along with gusty winds.
The windy weather appears to have caused power outages throughout the South Coast.
According to BC Hydro, as of Sunday evening there were 146 power outages across the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast, affecting 78,440 customers. On South Vancouver Island, 46 outages affected 9,414 households and on North Vancouver Island 40 outages had affected 5,411 households.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wind</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/storm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#storm</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kamloops?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kamloops</a> right now!!! Not gonna lie, I’m a little concerned about this 50 foot pine currently dancing over my house! You can see branches and debris coming down on my roof! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bcstorm</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/shareyourweather?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#shareyourweather</a> “we have cows” <a href="https://t.co/ltTJvmGhHG">pic.twitter.com/ltTJvmGhHG</a>
—@susanmark3000BC Hydro also says several thousand customers are without power in West Vancouver and North Vancouver because of an issue at one of its substations.
Most of those affected had their power restored as of Monday morning.
In other parts of the province, the snow has created treacherous conditions along highways. DriveBC has issued a travel warning for the Merritt to Hope section of the Coquihalla Highway because of heavy blowing snow with limited visibility.
BC Ferries cancelled several sailings on Sunday because of "adverse weather conditions," including sailings out of Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay.
We’re aware of multiple outages in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LangleyBC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LangleyBC</a> area affecting 7,000 customers. Crews will share updates as available here: <a href="https://t.co/NkIdcdnVkJ">https://t.co/NkIdcdnVkJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/K2sbxfZSIV">pic.twitter.com/K2sbxfZSIV</a>
—@bchydro<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ServiceNotice?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ServiceNotice</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tsawwassen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tsawwassen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SwartzBay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SwartzBay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpiritofBC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpiritofBC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpiritofVI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpiritofVI</a> has cancelled the following sailings due to adverse weather conditions: <br><br>3:00 pm, 7:00 pm & 9:00 pm exiting Tsawwassen <br>5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, & 9:00 pm exiting Swartz Bay <br><br>More info here: <a href="https://t.co/BY2GncdCwE">https://t.co/BY2GncdCwE</a> ^rj
—@BCFerries