WEST VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A wind warning issued by Environment Canada yesterday has ended, but not before a lot of damage was done.
#ServiceNotice #Cancelled Sailings #Tsawwassen # SwartzBay Sailings cancelled due to severe weather https://t.co/DKiRxEoH2r
— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) January 21, 2018
“An intense Pacific frontal system is moving slowly eastward across the South Coast this morning and will pass through the Lower Mainland near noon today. Ahead of the front, strong southeast winds will reach speeds up to 80 km/h, especially over exposed coastal areas,” says the agency in a statement.
Winds have eased to between 30 km/h and 50 km/h.
Intense winds with giant whitecaps not far from Tsawwassen Ferry terminal by Fred Gingell steps. @NEWS1130 #BCStorm pic.twitter.com/VDqPAOb682
— James Cybulski (@JamesCybulski) January 21, 2018
At the height of it Sunday morning, roughly 69,000 customers were without power across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. “We have had trees and branches been knocked down onto our equipment as a result of the high winds. This has resulted in downed power lines and damaged to our power poles. This work does take time for our crews to repair. We have all hands on deck working to get power back as quickly as possible,” explains the utility’s Tanya Fish.
HAPPENING NOW: The wind warning is still in place. Hang in there, things are expected to ease up later this morning. Meantime, @bchydro says roughly 65,000 customers are w/o power. pic.twitter.com/0A7udLs6qf
— NEWS 1130 (@NEWS1130) January 21, 2018
Click here to check on BC Hydro outages.
The wind also caused problems on the water. BC Ferries reported numerous cancellations because of unstable sails. “The routes that are affected are the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay, Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay, as well as Comox to Powell River. The first round trip on all those routes are cancelled,” said Deb Marshall with BC Ferries.
She adds, thankfully, ferry traffic on Sunday mornings are typically light.
Good morning! Due to high winds Park Royal has lost power and is closed! BC Hydro is involved and trying to restore it as soon as possible. We will post an update on Park Royal’s Facebook & Twitter pages when the power returns.
— Park Royal (@parkroyal) January 21, 2018
As for the roads, you’re being warned to look out for falling tree branches and to slow down and take extra precautions.
Listen live for traffic updates every 10 minutes on the ones. You can also follow us on Twitter @NEWS1130Traffic or subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
