Wind and rainfall warnings have been lifted along B.C.’s south coast after a third in a series of storms blew through the region on Saturday.
Although the storm was not as strong as predicted, high winds caused thousands of power outages and the cancellation of sailings along four major ferry routes.
WATCH: Cancelled ferries
Extra sailings have been added Sunday morning along the affected ferry routes as officials work to get traffic flowing between Vancouver Island and the mainland.
Stanley Park was closed at 8 p.m. as a precautionary measure. There were no reports of damage.
WATCH: Stanley Park closed
For the third time in less than a week, BC Hydro had to mobilize crews to respond to power outages.
“We were fortunate we had a small lull between this storm and the one that preceded it, which allowed us to send everybody home,” BC Hydro’s David Lebeter said.
“The crews are rested. They’re ready for 16 hours of work. We’ve got crews staggered. We’ll work 24 hours a day to get it restored.”
As of early Sunday morning, more than 4,000 customers in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island are still without power.
PHOTOS, VIDEO: Heavy wind and rain hit B.C.’s south coast in third of series of storms
Victoria experienced strong winds on Saturday but there were no reports of major damage.
WATCH: Vancouver Island Waves
The strongest gusts reached 96 km/h at Race Rocks, just off of the southern tip of Vancouver Island.
Winds topped out at 69 km/h in Metro Vancouver and 72 km/h in Tsawwassen.
WATCH: Waves crash in Tsawwassen during B.C. storm
Global BC meteorologist Michael Kuss said Saturday’s storm wasn’t as strong as forecasters anticipated because the track of the storm shifted, which kept winds down across the Lower Mainland.
More rain is in the forecast for Sunday.
Comments