Vancouver could see winds as strong as 90 km/h on Monday

Metro Vancouver residents might want to batten down the hatches — a storm is coming Monday that could pack winds as strong as 90 km/h.

A wind warning issued by Environment Canada on Sunday afternoon warns of “high winds,” which “may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break.”

The warning includes all of Metro Vancouver, including the City of Vancouver, North Shore and south of the Fraser along with the western end of the Fraser Valley.

An intense low pressure system is forecast to blow across Vancouver Island Monday morning, unloading strong winds across the entire south coast.

Some exposed coastal areas will see southerly winds of 70 to 80 kilometres per hour starting late Monday morning. The winds will ease later in the afternoon.

Coverage of Vancouver wind on Globalnews.ca:

1:15 Windy morning in Vancouver

• Windy morning in Vancouver
• Wind warning for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
• Windstorm leaves boats washed up on Vancouver’s Kitsilano beaches
• Wind storm causes damage in Metro Vancouver

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It’s expected to intensify through Sunday as it approaches the West Coast, and it’s expected to make landfall on West Vancouver Island on Monday, though there is some uncertainty about its exact location, the agency said.

READ MORE: Up to 100 km/h wind storm slams into B.C. South Coast

“Worst case scenario, we’d likely see some winds gusting up to 70, 80 kilometres per hour for Metro Vancouver and right along the shore possible winds as high as 90 km/h,” forecaster Greg Pearce told CKNW.

BC Hydro spokesperson Mora Scott says the Crown corporation has extra staff on standby and is watching the storm closely.

“We do have a team of in-house meteorologists that track storms for us, so we know about them before they hit. And that basically allows us to ramp up our BC Hydro crews, our contractor crews as well as our call centre crews should the power go out,” she said.

Scott added that anyone that does see a downed power line should call 911 and stay at least 10 metres away.

Environment Canada has also issued a snowfall warning for Whistler, with up to 20 centimetres of snow expected, while a rainfall warning has been issued for the Howe Sound area with up to 70 millimetres of rain possible.

Pearce said it looks like just the one windstorm on the horizon for now, but that bands of rain are expected all week.

Meanwhile on West Vancouver Island, there’s potential for winds as strong as 100 km/h, according to Environment Canada.