Strong wind, heavy rain knock out power to tens of thousands in B.C.

VANCOUVER — Tens of thousands of BC Hydro customers are in the dark after fierce storms with strong winds toppled trees and brought down power lines in the southern part of the province.

The utility says as of 4 a.m., nearly 175,000 customers were without electricity on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland.

The hardest hit areas included Surrey, Victoria, Nanaimo, Qualicum and Parksville. The Fraser Valley has escaped the winds as outages are being reported across the region.

The company says trees and branches already weakened by the drought this summer have been knocked down by the wind.