As many as 330,000 BC Hydro prospects misplaced power in some unspecified time in the future in a single day Friday, as robust winds and heavy rains knocked down timber weakened by this summer time’s extreme drought.
The utility says as of 8:30 a.m. Saturday, greater than 129,000 prospects have been nonetheless with out electrical energy on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland.
The hardest hit areas included Surrey, Victoria, Nanaimo, Qualicum and Parksville.
Crews have been working all through the evening to restore broken power traces, hydro poles and different tools so as to restore electrical energy to all prospects.
“Clean up work is anticipated to proceed all through the day,” the Crown company mentioned in an announcement Saturday morning.
“Because of the intensive harm, restore work could take a while and will proceed into tomorrow, particularly for purchasers in additional distant areas. However, crews are working as rapidly as attainable to get the most important quantity of prospects restored as quickly as attainable.”
Firefighters take care of a downed tree on power traces in Burnaby Friday evening. (CTV)
Environment Canada had issued wind warnings Friday night, forecasting gusts of up to 90 km/h. Those warnings have been lifted in a single day.
The excessive winds adopted the third atmospheric river to hit the province in a bit over every week.
The newest storm introduced rain and snow on Thursday and Friday earlier than the wind picked up.
Preliminary rainfall totals from 8 a.m. Thursday to 11 p.m. Friday, as reported by Environment Canada, ranged from 45.9 millimetres in Squamish to 79.9 millimetres within the Howe Sound village of Port Mellon.
Vancouver Harbour noticed 54.6 millimetres of rain throughout the storm, whereas West Vancouver noticed 69.1.
In the Interior, Kelowna received 12 centimetres of snow, as did the Coquihalla Summit.
By far the best snowfall complete within the province, in accordance to Environment Canada, was at Pennask Summit on Highway 97C, the place 70 centimetres have been reported.
The highest wind gusts within the province throughout the storm have been 118 km/h, recorded at Point Atkinson in West Vancouver. That was additionally the approximate pace of the quickest gust recorded on the Trial Islands south of Vancouver Island.
Gonzales Bay in Victoria noticed wind quickens to 100 km/h, and Vancouver International Airport noticed high speeds of 94.
A downed tree is seen on Parker Street in East Vancouver on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. (Submitted)
The excessive winds led BC Ferries to cancel a number of sailings between the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island.
One crusing between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen was delayed as a result of of the climate, however no sailings between the Island and the Lower Mainland have been cancelled.
With information from The Canadian Press