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Multiple ferry sailings have been cancelled and people are being warned to prepare for more power outages as a second round of powerful winds approaches B.C.’s South Coast.
B.C. Ferries said Saturday it had cancelled the 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. PCT sailings in both directions between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, along with a number of sailings on smaller routes, due to forecasted high winds and waves.
B.C. Ferries said more sailings are at risk of cancellation, and travellers should check the company’s current conditions website before heading to the terminal.
“Our crews and operations teams are closely monitoring conditions, and while we always aim to keep people moving, the safety of our passengers and crew must come first,” spokesperson Lilian Kim said.
It comes after multiple sailings were cancelled due to strong winds on Friday afternoon, leading to delays in the evening as the ferry service worked to catch up.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued wind warnings for most of Vancouver Island including Victoria, along with Metro Vancouver, the Southern Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the Fraser Canyon.
It said another strong low-pressure system is expected to bring powerful southeasterly winds of 70 km/h, gusting up to 90 km/h Saturday afternoon.
ECCC added power outages are possible and warned people to be alert to the potential of falling or flying debris. The winds are forecast to die down towards midnight.
Meanwhile, a large swath of the B.C. Interior from Hope north to Burns Lake is also under a special weather statement, with strong winds gusting up to 60-80 km/h that are forecast to strengthen Saturday afternoon and peak Sunday morning.
An additional cold front is expected to bring more powerful winds to the Interior on Sunday afternoon.
More outages expected, thousands still without power
B.C. Hydro is warning that more power outages could be on the way.
On Saturday morning, about 40,000 B.C. Hydro customers woke up without power following Friday’s storm, down from a peak of about 80,000.
At the peak of the storm on Friday, more than 30,000 hydro customers were without power on Vancouver Island alone.
Downed power lines cause sparks to ignite a tree in the Comox Valley on Friday. (Submitted by Rob Zeman)
Friday’s storm also downed trees across the central Interior and North, knocking out power to about 23,000 customers in 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Vanderhoof — with about one-third of Prince George in the dark at one point.
“What we really saw [Friday] was the storm coming in waves,” said B.C. Hydro spokesperson Whitney Dean.
“So then you’re getting new outages coming online just as you’re restoring power to another area. So that left crews very busy.”
Dean said crews’ main priority remains restoring power to customers, but the utility is also preparing for potentially stronger winds on Saturday.
She urged customers to be prepared with a 72-hour emergency kit, including batteries and flashlights.
‘Minor’ coastal flooding possible
The B.C. River Forecast Centre has issued high streamflow advisories for most of Vancouver Island and the South and Central coasts, including the Sea-to-Sky region, and the lower Fraser River basin.
It says parts of the Island have received up to 210 millimetres of rain since Thursday, amid a series of atmospheric rivers washing over the B.C. coast.
The systems could combine with high tides to soak some low-lying coastal areas, and that waterways on northern and western Vancouver Island are rising rapidly.
ECCC has also issued a coastal flooding statement for much of Vancouver Island’s west coast, saying elevated ocean levels combined with strong winds and waves could push waters above the highest astronomical tides.
It says minor flooding along low-lying shorelines is likely this weekend.
