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

VANCOUVER – Hurricane-force winds slammed into parts of the British Columbia coast as a massive storm swirling off Vancouver Island severed highways and cut power to thousands of 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 of up to 170 km/h.

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 BC Hydro customers without electricity as of 6:30 a.m., down from around 270,000 at the peak of the weather event.

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.

Feature image: A person walks a dog as waves and debris crash into the breakwater below Dallas Rd. in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. Severe weather conditions overnight caused power outages across Vancouver Island. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito