Strong winds and torrential rain in parts of Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast. Landslide risk in Zeballos area.
The second in a series of storms in British Columbia brought howling winds and torrential rainfall to parts of the province Sunday morning, knocking out power for thousands of customers.
B.C. Hydro said at the height of the storm, about 135,000 customers were without power.
The utility said that number dropped to about 52,000 customers as of 11 a.m. as crews worked to restore power. About 31,000 of those were on Vancouver Island from Saanich to Port Hardy, up from about 13,000 on Saturday.
Whiteney Deane, a spokesperson for B.C. Hydro, said crews are making good progress, but they expect to see more damage and outages as windy conditions continue Sunday.
DriveBC issued road condition alerts for nearly all major highways on Vancouver Island north of Nanaimo because of wind and water pooling on pavement.
Those include Highway 19A and 19 from Nanaimo to Port Hardy, Highway 30 to Port Alice, Highway 28 to Gold River, Head Bay Road to Tahsis and Highway 4 west until Toquart Bay Road.
Downed trees that blocked highways near Qualicum Bay and Courtenay on Saturday were cleared by Sunday.
B.C. Ferries cancelled evening sailings between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen on Saturday and said in an update Sunday that conditions had improved and service resumed in the morning. But strong winds delayed some departures.
Environment Canada issued rainfall warnings Sunday morning for northern and western Vancouver Island, with rainfall amounts of up to 120 millimetres expected in some parts.
Wind warnings are in effect for parts of the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast, north central B.C. and Vancouver Island, with gusts reaching up to 90 km/h on the mainland and 100 km/h on Vancouver Island.
“It was just howling, and we had thunder, we had lightning,” said Gerry Sullivan, a resident of Zeballos on northwest Vancouver Island. The wind woke him up early Sunday. “We’re right on the west coast on an inlet to the Pacific. When it blows, it just howls right down this inlet.”
An evacuation order remains in place for 22 properties in the village after heavy rain and flooding from a storm Friday raised the landslide risk.
The Strathcona Regional District said in a statement on Saturday that a geotechnical engineer had completed an initial assessment and the district was awaiting the formal report.
Sullivan and his wife Vicki said they have been without power since Saturday afternoon, but they have two generators to keep the lights on and a wood stove for backup heat.
“I’m 72-years-old and I’ve never ever experienced a wind like that,” Vicki Sullivan said, adding that she could hear trees falling outside their home Saturday.
One of the main roads in the area, Maquinna Avenue, was re-opened to essential travel, but the regional district’s statement said stopping was strictly prohibited, “as there continues to be a risk to public safety.”
Gerry Sullivan said the village of about 120 residents is about 42 kilometres away from the main highway along a forest service road. He said he’s not sure whether the road is passable after the most recent storm.
At about 8 a.m. Sunday morning, he said the wind had died down but it was still raining in Zeballos.
More rain is on the way for the parts of B.C., which is experiencing a series of atmospheric river systems, drenching coastal areas.
B.C.’s River Forecast Centre said a third storm starting later Monday may bring in a more prolonged period of rainfall across the province’s coast through the coming week.