VANCOUVER -- Tens of thousands of homes are still without power as of lunchtime Tuesday after strong winds and snow swept across B.C. on Monday, the first day of winter.
As of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, BC Hydro says it has restored power to 85 per cent of its 223,000 customers affected by the snow storm.
“BC Hydro crews continue to make good progress and have restored power to 190,000 customers of the 223,000 customers impacted by the snow storm on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Lower Mainland and the Southern Interior,” reads a statement from the company.
BC Hydro said crews worked through the night to restore power to about 130,000 customers across Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Lower Mainland who were impacted by the storm. During the morning on Tuesday, crews worked to restore power to about 60,000 more customers.
Approximately 34,000 customers remain without power, about 16,000 of whom are in Maple Ridge and Surrey, and about 10,400 in Duncan, Victoria and Salt Spring Island. An additional 8,000 in West Kelowna and Nakusp are also in the dark.
Hydro issued an operational update early Tuesday, saying the heavy, wet snow that fell in parts of southern B.C. yesterday added weight to branches and trees, causing them to break and come into contact with electrical equipment.
“As a result, all available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews will continue to work around the clock repairing the extensive damage until power is restored,” the update said.
In the meantime, drivers are being warned to prepare for slippery road conditions with freezing overnight temperatures causing black ice.
Snow and salting trucks worked through the night on most of the major roads, though some side streets remained untouched.
In Surrey, which has 4,000 kilometres of road, crews were focusing on keeping the main routes clear on Monday.
“There are currently 47 trucks on the road. It will be the same tomorrow morning and we will run that straight through until there’s no issues whatsoever,” said Ray Kerr, manager of engineering operations for Surrey.
Multiple cars were also damaged by snow falling on the Port Mann Bridge. The Ministry of Transportation confirmed to CTV News it had received reports of windshield damage to two vehicles, one in each direction.
Staff Sgt. Quentin Frewing with Port Mann Traffic Services said no one had been injured.
Environment Canada lifted wind warnings for the Lower Mainland early Tuesday morning, but winter storm and snowfall warnings are still in place for the southeastern corner of B.C., with 10 to 25 centimetres of snow forecast before conditions ease later in the day.
