Storm sends massive waves crashing down on Greater Victoria roads

Mother Nature’s power was on full display in Greater Victoria Tuesday, when fierce winds blasted the shoreline and huge waves crashed onto Dallas Road.

The spectacle of sheer force drew a crowd of curious onlookers and exhilarated storm-watchers, including Sylvia Harron. “That’s pretty awesome—it’s lighthouse-worthy weather. I used to work in a lighthouse and it’s on par for sure,” she said Tuesday.

Fierce winds flung wood and debris onto to the sidewalk and Dallas Road, shutting it down for the day.

The conditions deposited a pond where there had been a roadway.

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority shut down the nearby Ogden Point breakwater, deeming it too dangerous.

“Because of the debris and the water, the wind blowing over is very unstable and very unsafe,” said the harbour authority’s Mark Conway.

The remarkable conditions and massive waves were caused by a rare combination of low pressure, high winds and amongst the highest tides of the year—called a spring or king tide.

“It’s all about the perfect storm when it comes to the pressure, the wind and of course the timing of the tide,” said Armel Catellan, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The same high tides and big waves also rocked houseboats at Fisherman's Wharf and wreaked havoc in the MacNeill Bay area of Oak Bay, where roads were also closed.

Despite the sheer force of the storm, no major damage was reported apart from localized flooding.

Wednesday’s tides are expected to be even higher, but the winds are predicted to relent, after a day many won’t soon forget.