Severe wind warning for Metro Vancouver

Environment Canada is warning of extreme winds reaching up to 70 kilometres per hour in Metro Vancouver and on west Vancouver Island.

Morning winds toppled trees in Vancouver and beached sailboats in English Bay on Monday.

In Pictures: Wind whips B.C.'s south coast

At 1 p.m. on Monday, winds at Vancouver International Airport and in Tofino had reached 46 kilometres per hour.

Environment Canada meteorologist David Jones said that the weather is unusual for this time of year, but not unheard of.

"We've gone from hot weather to cooler air, and the leading edge of that cooler air has brought the wind with it," Jones said.

He added that blustery conditions are expected to last into Monday night.

Falling branches have knocked out power for more than 5,700 BC Hydro customers in Metro Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast.

BC Hydro spokesman Dag Sharman told CTV News that the outages have been most common in Coquitlam, the North Shore and Port Moody. He predicted further power losses as the wind continues throughout the day.

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  A man and his dog walk along Kitsilano Beach as high winds whip up sand during a wind storm in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday July 12, 2010. (CP/Darryl Dyck)

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  A man looks at a sailboat that was blown onto the rocks at Kitsilano Beach during a wind storm in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday July 12, 2010. (CP/Darryl Dyck)

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  Strong gusts of wind sent a sailboat onto the rocks in Vancouver's False Creek. July 12, 2010. (CTV)

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  Wind sends sand blowing on Vancouver's Kitsilano Beach. July 12, 2010. (CTV)