British Columbia’s Lower Mainland experienced early autumn weather on Friday as strong winds swept through the region. According to Environment Canada’s forecast, northwest winds were expected to reach speeds of up to 50 km/h, with gusts reaching 70 km/h near the Strait of Georgia. The storm led to power outages affecting around 30,000 B.C. Hydro customers, mainly in Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, and Surrey.
Moira Scott, a spokesperson for B.C. Hydro, attributed the outages to trees and branches making contact with power lines and equipment, exacerbated by the abundance of foliage on trees during this time of year. By 7 p.m. PCT, approximately 17,000 people remained without power, with efforts underway to restore services by 8 p.m.
Numerous instances of fallen trees were reported across the city, with one tree crushing a vehicle in Kitsilano and another large tree downed in Douglas Park. While B.C. Ferries largely maintained their sailings as scheduled, a few afternoon sailings between Texada Island and Powell River were exceptions.
Scott emphasized the importance of having a 72-hour emergency kit prepared with essentials like water, food, batteries, and a portable charger, highlighting the unpredictability of storm damage and power outages. Environment and Climate Change Canada projected the windy conditions to persist into Friday night, with west winds ranging from 30 km/h to 50 km/h, tapering off to around 20 km/h by midnight.