Around 25,000 without power in B.C. after powerful overnight windstorm
CBC
More than 25,000 homes in southwest B.C. woke up without power on Tuesday after a severe windstorm rolled through the region overnight.
The majority of power outages are concentrated in the Lower Mainland, where more than 20,000 customers are in the dark, according to B.C. Hydro. That includes a large portion of the North Shore, which could be in a blackout until mid-afternoon after a number of key transmission lines were damaged.
Hydro crews that arrived at the scene found three broken power poles that need to be repaired, according to B.C. Hydro spokesperson Kyle Donaldson.
"We've got a team working on it, they've been there through the night, but it will likely take the better part of the day to get that particular area up and running again"
Roughly 3,000 people on Vancouver Island are also without electricity, as are another 2,000 in the northern part of the province.
Many overnight outages were caused by falling trees knocking out power lines.
Although official measurements have not yet been released, winds during Monday night's storm were expected to reach 110 km/h on some parts of the coast, and Environment Canada had predicted gusts of up to 70 km/h for Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound and inland Vancouver Island.
Weather warnings remain in place Tuesday for the majority of Vancouver Island, the South Coast and the Central Coast.
Also, a snowfall warning is in effect for the Coquihalla Highway, with up to 25 centimetres expected into Wednesday morning.
Monday was the third straight day of fierce winds for the South Coast. On Sunday, a storm toppled trees, blocked roads and disrupted transit.
A rare tornado swept over a section of the University of British Columbia's Vancouver campus Saturday, downing trees and power lines across a major road to the campus.
Bus service to campus is still being detoured as a result. Routes 004 and 014 are using West 16 Avenue, while the 99 bus is using Chancellor Boulevard.
A new report from B.C. Hydro on Tuesday said storm-related outages are more frequent in B.C. as a result of climate change, but nearly half of British Columbians are not prepared.
Donaldson said record-breaking temperatures and prolonged drought this summer has led to more weakened trees and dead vegetation across B.C., which are prone to collapse in high winds.
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