VANCOUVER - More than 9,000 customers were still without power in British Columbia on Sunday afternoon following a windstorm.

BC Hydro says that at one point on Saturday, the storm knocked out power to more than 70,000 customers.

The hardest hit areas were in the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast, along with southern Vancouver Island.

On Sunday morning, Environment Canada ended a special weather statement for Metro Vancouver that had predicted a weaker storm.

The national forecaster expected about two centimetres of snow in the region beginning later Sunday afternoon.

The weather agency has snowfall warnings of five to 10 centimetres for east and inland Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria and the southern Gulf Islands.

It also warns of strong winds in Squamish and Whistler as cold Arctic air surges through the mainland inlets and valleys of the B.C. coast.