More than 150,000 households and businesses in British Columbia were without electricity Monday as high winds and heavy rains downed power lines and prompted storm warnings across the province.
Environment Canada said wind speeds of up to 110 km/h were expected over parts of Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii, while the Lower Mainland and Interior regions were bracing for winds of up to 100 km/h throughout the day.
More than 117,000 BC Hydro customers in the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast regions were without electricity into the afternoon, while outages continued to affect about 32,000 customers on Vancouver Island, down from 46,000 earlier in the day.
“BC Hydro has been carefully planning for this storm and has all available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews responding,” the power provider said in a statement.
“After a multi-year drought, vegetation has been weakened across the province, making it more susceptible to wind. As a result, many dead and damaged tress and branches have fallen, causing them to come into contact with BC Hydro’s electrical equipment.”
BC Hydro said anyone who encounters a downed power line should keep at least 10 metres away and call 911 immediately.
“A downed power line is an emergency,” the utility said. “BC Hydro crews will work with first responders to make the area safe.”
Environment Canada says between 70 mm and 100 mm of rainfall was expected on Vancouver Island, making road washouts possible near rivers, creeks and culverts, while parts of Metro Vancouver could see upwards of 70 mm of rain.
Residents were urged to clear storm drains of leaves and debris to help prevent localized flooding, while the weather office warned that winds could toss loose objects and cause injury or property damage.
Police in West Vancouver, where some of Metro Vancouver’s highest rainfall totals were expected, said heavy rain and pooling water was likely to blame for a single-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 99 early in the morning.
Two serious crashes involving pedestrians were also reported in Langley and Delta, resulting in road closures.
Environment Canada said winds in Metro Vancouver would shift from strong southeasterly winds in the morning to strong northwest winds in the afternoon. “These strong westerly winds will also spread up the Fraser Valley,” according to the agency.
Snowfall warnings
Elsewhere in the province, winter storm warnings were issued for the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt and Highway 3 between Grand Forks and Creston.
Environment Canada says rapidly accumulating and blowing snow are creating “near-zero visibilities and treacherous driving conditions” along both major highways.
Snowfall accumulations are expected to range from 20 centimetres at the Coquihalla summit to nearly 40 centimetres at Kootenay Pass on Highway 3 by Tuesday morning, according to the weather office.
“The combination of heavy snowfall and strong winds will result in severely reduced visibilities and blowing snow conditions,” the warning said.