Close X
Thursday, January 16, 2025
ADVT 
National

Bomb cyclone batters B.C. with hurricane-force winds, cutting roads and power

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 20 Nov, 2024 10:48 AM
  • Bomb cyclone batters B.C. with hurricane-force winds, cutting roads and power

Hurricane-force winds of up to 170 km/h have slammed into parts of the British Columbia coast as a massive storm swirling off Vancouver Island severed highways and cut power to more than 200,000 people overnight.

Winds from the bomb cyclone weather system exceeded 100 km/h in multiple areas late Tuesday, with gusts approaching 80 km/h at Vancouver's airport.

Remote Sartine Island, off the northern tip of Vancouver Island, was battered by the most powerful gusts, equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.

BC Hydro says most of the blacked-out customers were on Vancouver Island, but there were also dozens of outages across Metro Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast.

It says crews made significant progress overnight, but there were about 95,000 customers without electricity as of 6:30 a.m., down from around 270,000 at the peak of the storm.

The power utility says it expects further outages on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast as wind and rain warnings from Environment Canada remain in those regions.

The Transportation Ministry says multiple highways on Vancouver Island have been closed because of downed power lines, fallen trees and debris, with more closures expected as the storm moves through.

BC Ferries cancelled morning sailings on its major routes again Wednesday morning due to high winds, citing safety concerns for crew and passengers. It said in a statement that more will likely be called off if conditions do not improve.

It had also cancelled numerous sailings Tuesday between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

A bomb cyclone is caused by rapidly dropping atmospheric pressure at the centre of a weather system.

Environment Canada says the storm is parked about 500 kilometres west of Vancouver Island and will remain offshore, with the winds hitting B.C.'s coastal areas not expected to weaken until later today.

It says elevated ocean water levels and significant wind and waves are expected along coastal sections of Vancouver Island and the mainland "likely exceeding highest astronomical tide."

The weather office says minor flooding near those coastal regions is expected.

There were similar impacts from the storm south of the border, as the storm swept over the Northwestern U.S., causing widespread power outages.

In Washington state, South County Fire said on social media that a woman died Tuesday night when a large tree fell on a homeless encampment in Lynnwood.

The Seattle Fire Department also reported that a tree fell on a vehicle Tuesday, temporarily trapping a person inside, but later confirmed they were in stable condition after being extricated.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Surrey mayor accepts outcome of judicial review

Surrey mayor accepts outcome of judicial review
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says she still opposes the province's mandated transition to a municipal police force, but she accepts the outcome of a judicial review. The mayor told a council meeting that the city is moving forward with what needs to be done to ensure residents are prioritized in the provincially legislated transition.

Surrey mayor accepts outcome of judicial review

BC's official opposition shuffles portfolios

BC's official opposition shuffles portfolios
B-C's official Opposition has shuffled its shadow cabinet portfolios. A statement from B-C United says former provincial cabinet minister Shirley Bond has been appointed as shadow minister for mental health and addiction.

BC's official opposition shuffles portfolios

Vancouver police arrest five, seize drugs, in Quebec gang investigation

Vancouver police arrest five, seize drugs, in Quebec gang investigation
Vancouver police have arrested five men, and recovered more than 24 kilograms of illicit drugs, after a lengthy investigation into a gang originally from Quebec. A statement from the department says members of the gang known as Zone 43 established operations in Vancouver and were the focus of a 14-month investigation by its organized crime section.

Vancouver police arrest five, seize drugs, in Quebec gang investigation

Two children remain in hospital after Saskatchewan school bus crash

Two children remain in hospital after Saskatchewan school bus crash
Two children remain in hospital for observation after a crash that saw a school bus roll over off a road in rural Saskatchewan. The crash happened Monday afternoon at the intersection of two gravel roads near Rockglen, in the southwest part of the province.

Two children remain in hospital after Saskatchewan school bus crash

Border strike averted after union reaches tentative agreement with Ottawa

Border strike averted after union reaches tentative agreement with Ottawa
Workers at Canada's borders are no longer planning to go on strike this week after their union reached a tentative agreement with the federal government. The Public Service Alliance of Canada said Tuesday it reached a deal with the government for Canada Border Services Agency employees after working "around the clock." 

Border strike averted after union reaches tentative agreement with Ottawa

Delta weekend fire destroys vacant building

Delta weekend fire destroys vacant building
Police in Delta are looking for witnesses after a weekend fire destroyed a vacant building in Ladner. They say there were no injuries caused by the fire, which happened in the 49-hundred block of Chisholm Street and was reported shortly before midnight Saturday.

Delta weekend fire destroys vacant building