Over 2,000 Tri-City BC Hydro customers who had their power knocked out Tuesday morning had their lights flick back on by late afternoon.
A swath of the Tri-Cities, encompassing Belcarra, Anmore and dipping into Port Moody, had its power cut at roughly 10:30 a.m., leaving 2,058 BC Hydro customers in the dark as winds of up to 90 kilometres an hour swept across the Lower Mainland.
BC Hydro dispatched a crew in the morning and after initially restoring power to Port Moody, Belcarra and Anmore were hooked up to the grid by evening.
We're aware of the power outage near #Anmore and #Belcarra that's affecting 405 customers in the area. The cause is under investigation and our crews will be sharing updates here: https://t.co/BISTxQouSN pic.twitter.com/Z1vGbyOrNl
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) November 17, 2020
The windstorm triggered a number of outages across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, according to BC Hydro, which reminded the public to maintain at least two metres from crews while they work.
Anyone seeing downed or damaged power lines is asked to stay back at least 10 metres and to call 9-1-1 immediately.
Environment Canada had earlier issued a wind warning for much of the Lower Mainland as a rapidly deepening low-pressure system is set to slam into a cold front sweeping across the south coast.
“As the front races across the area, widespread and powerful gusty southerly winds will occur. Gusts in excess of 90 km/h are possible,” wrote the weather agency in its warning.
Crews have made great progress today repairing the damage following the #BCStorm which left 110,000 customers on #VancouverIsland & the South Coast without power. They've restored power to 63,000 customers and are sharing the latest outage updates here: https://t.co/JY7BGKJAWw pic.twitter.com/W3eEwpNoRm
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) November 18, 2020
Environment Canada warns that high winds may snap branches from trees and send other loose objects hurtling through the air.
The winds are expected to ease as the cold front passes across the region today but gusts are expected throughout the afternoon.
The system arrives at the same time as unusually high tides, raising the potential for flooding and prompting cities such as Courtenay and Delta to issue storm surge advisories or install portable flood barriers along low-lying areas.
Expected winds caused BC Ferries to cancel many morning sailings between Vancouver Island and the Mainland, but forecasters say winds should ease by afternoon — although they will remain gusty.
— With files from the Canadian Press
