Image: BC Hydro / BC Hydro says high winds have caused extensive damage to its power grid system and produced outages to over 180,000 customers in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and on Vancouver Island.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Power outages

Update 7:50 a.m.: BC Hydro restored power overnight to 175,000 customers, as 272K were impacted by storm

Nov 19, 2024 | 6:04 PM

UPDATE 7:50 A.M. WEDNESDAY: BC Hydro says crews made “significant progress” overnight restoring power to over 175,000 customers, nearly two-thirds of the more than 272,000 customers who were impacted. BC Hydro says restoration work will continue throughout the day.

The special weather statement for Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley has ended. Chilliwack currently has no power outages as of 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. Winds have diminished significantly compared to Tuesday night, and the eastern Fraser Valley has emerged relatively unscathed compared to its Vancouver Island counterparts, where multiple roads and highways were closed due to downed trees or power lines at one point Tuesday evening.

As of Wednesday morning at 6:35 a.m., a little over 89,000 BC Hydro customers on Vancouver Island are still without power. BC Hydro says, “We have all available crews responding to the extensive damage caused by strong winds. Crews will continue to work around the clock to restore power.”

Washington state was battered by fierce winds that resulted in over 500,000 customers losing power, as trees fell on vehicles, buses and power lines throughout the region.

UPDATE 9:55 P.M. TUESDAY: BC Hydro says high winds have caused extensive damage to its power system and produced outages to over 180,000 customers in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and on Vancouver Island.

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The winds have now impacted the Lower Mainland as 2,355 customers in North Vancouver, 3,488 customers in Coquitlam, and 3,845 customers in Port Coquitlam are without power. Additional outages impacting over 1,000 customers are being reported in Surrey, West Van, and near Vancouver International Airport; the outage near YVR is affecting nearly 11,000 customers.

BC Hydro reports on its website that over 149,000 customers have lost power on Vancouver Island, including over 9,000 customers in Parksville and 25,000-plus customers in Nanaimo. At one point Tuesday evening, there were over 175 reported outages just on Vancouver Island alone. Of note, significant power outages (affecting over 1,000 customers, for example) have not been reported in Abbotsford or Chilliwack as of 9 p.m. Tuesday night.

Original story below from 6:04 p.m. Tuesday night:

VANCOUVER ISLAND — Right around suppertime Tuesday evening, BC Hydro is reporting that over 77,000 customers on Vancouver Island are without power as an intensifying storm has arrived in British Columbia.

Environment Canada had warned about a storm that would bring powerful winds to Vancouver Island and the British Columbia coast this week.

Matt MacDonald, the lead forecaster for the BC Wildfire Service, said earlier this week that B.C. coastal inlets could see “hurricane force” winds of more than 118 km/h and create waves up to nine metres off Washington and Oregon.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday evening, over 3,000 customers in Qualicum Beach just northwest of Parksville lost power; over 2,400 customers in Tofino were without power; over 3,000 customers in Port Alberni have no electricity; and several thousands in greater Victoria currently lack power. On Vancouver Island alone, as of 6 p.m., over 77,000 customers were without power.

Environment Canada posted a special weather statement saying the storm will develop off the coast of Vancouver Island on Tuesday, bringing high winds and heavy rain to some areas starting in the afternoon. It said the weather system may cause downed trees, travel delays and power outages, adding that peak winds are expected for most areas Tuesday night, though the severe weather is likely to continue into Wednesday.

B.C. has been hit by a series of powerful fall storms, including an atmospheric river that caused flash flooding in Metro Vancouver in mid-October.