It was the fiercest storm to rip through the Lower Mainland this decade.
Now the cleanup begins.
READ MORE: A full list of power outages can be found here
Winds gusting upwards of 90 kilometres an hour tore through the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver, and Vancouver Island today, causing approximately 440,000 customers to be without power at its peak.
Here’s how it played out across the region.
It tore through the Fraser Valley Surrey first, causing branches and small trees to fall on several highways
In many places, including the Mary Hill Bypass, people got out of their cars to clear the roads.
But it soon became clear that the winds had knocked down trees and power lines on roads large and small
The wind gusts were highest in the Gulf Islands…
But the winds were high all throughout southern British Columbia today.
At least one boat became unmoored off South Pender Island – but luckily no one was inside at the time
The PNE announced a closure at one point – but then reopened. We put down our giant balloon camera, just to be safe.
It quickly became evident there were mass power outages. In Vancouver, more than 85,000 customers were without power.
In Surrey, there were approximately 100,000 homes without power…
In the Tri-Cities, Maple Ridge, and Pitt Meadows, it was around 40,000
But no matter where you were, the story was the same – downed trees, and homes precipitously close to being damaged
However, many homes were unable to escape being hit directly – including these Surrey residences
It wasn’t much better in the sky. A tree fell on a Skytrain on the Expo Line early this afternoon, badly damaging it. Thankfully, no one was injured, but one wheelchair-bound passenger was trapped for several hours until the train could be pulled to safety.
One of Surrey’s most striking visuals, the Canadian flag at the Mitsubishi in Guildford, was ripped away.
There were plenty of areas where cars were damaged- especially among Vancouver’s tree-lined streets
This is along 3rd and Balsam.
The combination of high winds and roots that hadn’t gotten substantial rain for months caused plenty of trees to be virtually uplifted
The forecast tomorrow? More rain – and more wind.
WATCH: The weather forecast going forward
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