Power outages, downed trees and cancelled ferries due to B.C. windstorm

A tree fell on a car on Knight Street and 32nd Avenue in Vancouver during a windstorm on Saturday, Dec. 14. (CTV News)

Thousands of British Columbians were without power Saturday morning as high winds reached the South Coast.

As of 9:30 a.m., nearly 60,000 BC Hydro customers in the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast regions were in the dark, and on Vancouver Island more than 16,000 had no power, according to the utility.

Downed tress caused road closures, including on the Stanley Park causeway, and a tree fell on a car at Knight Street and 32nd Avenue in Vancouver. 

BC Hydro said the winds brought down trees and damaged “multiple structures” and toppled power lines in Tofino and Ucluelet. The utility estimated customers in that area will get power back around 4 p.m. Saturday “due to the extensive damage and remote location.”

Environment Canada issued wind warnings across the South Coast, including Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, the Gulf Islands, Greater Victoria, and eastern and western Vancouver Island.

The forecaster said wind gusts up to 100 km/h are expected through Saturday morning before easing later in the afternoon.

“Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur. Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage. High winds may result in power outages and fallen tree branches,” the advisory reads.

“Motorists, especially in high profile vehicles, may expect hazardous driving conditions on highways subject to strong cross winds.”

The federal weather agency also warned of coastal flooding along the west coast of Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver’s Boundary Bay due to high tides accompanied by large waves.

Cancelled ferries

Due to high winds at sea, BC Ferries cancelled a number of Saturday morning sailings between the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast.

Between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, sailings between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. were called off. On the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route, sailings from 6:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. were also cancelled.

More affected ferry schedules can be found on BC Ferries’ service notices webpage.

“We know you have important places to be. We are currently monitoring the weather conditions with the goal of getting you underway as soon as it’s safe to do so. If conditions do not improve, additional sailings may need to be cancelled and we will let you know if that happens,” BC Ferries wrote in a notice.