Thousands lost power on Monday and a number of BC Ferries sailings were cancelled as a result of a fall storm that has prompted weather warnings across much British Columbia’s coast line.
According to BC Hydro, about 1,300 people on Vancouver Island and 1,000 on the Sunshine Coast experienced outages by 10:30 a.m., and the utility said more blackouts are possible throughout the day. Roughly 9,000 people in total had lost power at the peak of the outages it added.
BC Ferries, meanwhile, is taking precautions.
It cancelled all sailings after 11 a.m. in the Haida Gwaii region and said cancellations are possible in that area for Tuesday as well. A number of morning and afternoon trips were cancelled between Cortes and Quadra islands, as were four sailings between Swartz Bay in Victoria and Tsawwassen in Delta.
Grouse Mountain also closed Monday.
Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for the Central Coast, the northern part of Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and Howe Sound. A rain warning has also been issued for Howe Sound, while special weather statements have been issued for Metro Vancouver that warn of wind gusts up to 70 kilometres per hour that could break down trees and damage loose objects.
On Vancouver Island, wind gusts up to 90 km/h are forecast and may possibly damage roof shingles or windows, Environment Canada warns.
The federal agency has also issued a waterspout watch for West Vancouver Island, noting that the columns are possible Monday afternoon and evening.
Wind speeds near waterspouts can be 83 kilometres per hour or higher, according to Global BC meteorologist Kristi Gordon, who cautioned mariners to take precautions, postpone travel or seek safe harbour.
Waterspouts cannot be seen at night and may strike suddenly, Gordon added, and while they are generally isolated they sometimes occur in groups of two or more.