Some BC Ferries passengers face 5-sailing wait after Tuesday's storm cancellations

Many BC Ferries passengers are facing long waits on Wednesday, a spillover effect of the sailing cancellations caused by the “vigorous” fall storm that landed on the South Coast this week.

While the most intense winds have subsided, and there have been no additional cancellations on major routes on Wednesday morning, BC Ferries warned travellers there was already a five-sailing wait heading from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay as of 7:30 a.m.

There was a four-sailing wait for passengers going in the other direction.

Commuters across Metro Vancouver also woke up to soggy weather on Wednesday, prompting a renewed warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada about possibly hazardous conditions on roads.

“Travel may become difficult in areas of heavy rain,” the agency wrote, in an alert posted at 4:27 a.m.

DriveBC reported a “vehicle incident” in one of the middle lanes of the Alex Fraser Bridge heading into the morning rush hour, but the scene was cleared shortly after.

The Pacific frontal system moving over B.C.’s South Coast is expected to deliver up to 90 mm of rain to some areas, including West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows, before tapering off Wednesday evening.

In the meantime, Environment Canada warned there could be water pooling on roads, and the potential for washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts.

Wind warnings issued Tuesday for parts of the region have ended – but the conditions overnight caused power outages that continued to affect tens of thousands of BC Hydro customers as of Wednesday morning.

Of nearly 20,000 outages that were ongoing as of 7 a.m., the majority were on the Sunshine Coast, according to the utility provider.