BC windstorm knocks out power to thousands on south coast

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The forecast calls for very strong southwesterly winds of 70 kilometers per hour, gusting to 90 km/h, but easing by Wednesday afternoon.

A worker in Stanley Park clears a downed tree after a wing storm hit Vancouver on May 18, 2022.
A worker in Stanley Park clears a downed tree after a wing storm hit Vancouver on May 18, 2022. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

Strong winds from an unseasonable storm knocked out power to 121,000 homes on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and Lower Mainland on Wednesday.

Environment Canada posted wind warnings on Wednesday for much of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the southern Gulf Islands.

The forecast called for very strong southwesterly winds of 70 kilometers per hour, gusting to 90 km/h, but easing by afternoon.

Special weather statements have also been posted for more than a dozen areas in southern BC, including the Fraser Canyon, Nicola, Similkameen, Shuswap and East and West Columbia, where up to five centimeters of snow is forecast.

The weather office says the snow was expected to change to rain later in the day, but cautioned that driving conditions could be hazardous.

The Fraser Valley, much of Metro Vancouver, the Howe Sound, inland on Vancouver Island and Whistler areas were warned to expect from 40 to 60 millimeters of rain.

According to BC Hydro, 121,000 homes lost power during the storm — with the worst hit communities being Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach and Galiano Island.

As of 5 pm, power had been restored to half of those homes.


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