High winds slam North Shore, knock out power for thousands
Credit to Author: Scott Brown| Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2019 17:09:24 +0000
High winds have caused thousands of Metro Vancouver residents to be without power Wednesday morning.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a wind warning for parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
The weather agency says strong northeasterly outflow winds with gusts up to 90 km/h will develop early Wednesday morning for the western and central Fraser Valley as well as southeast sections of Metro Vancouver including Surrey and Langley.
By 6 a.m., the wind had caused trees to fall on power lines, knocking out power to more than 18,000 BC Hydro customers, mainly on the North Shore.
BC Hydro map of power outages in North Vancouver just before 9 a.m. Wednesday.
BC Hydro spokesperson Tanya Fish said they have extra crews out dealing with a few “large” trees that have come down on power lines, and they hope to have power restored to most customers by 9 a.m.
As a result, a number of schools in North Vancouver pushed back their start times to 11 a.m. on Wednesday due to the power outage.
Those schools include ​Braemar, Canyon Heights, Carisbrooke, Carson Graham, Cleveland, Dorothy Lynas, Handsworth, Highlands, Larson, Montroyal, Mountainside and Westview. Students and parents should check the North Vancouver School District website for updates.
There are also more than 300 power outages on Bowen Island and more than 800 in Victoria and Saanich this morning because of the wind.
Fish said crews are also keeping an eye on the Fraser Valley, where the wind was picking up speed.
Wind warnings are issued when there is a significant risk of damaging winds.
“Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur. Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage,” the ECCC alert said.
The wind is expected to let up until Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, a special weather statement calling for cold and blustery conditions remains in effect for Metro Vancouver.
Temperatures are expected to dip below the freezing mark — with wind-chill values expected in the minus-five to minus-10 C range — along the south coast on Wednesday.
The cold snap is expected to continue for several days.
-with files from Tiffany Crawford