A second powerful windstorm has left tens of thousands of customers across British Columbia without power, BC Hydro said on Sunday. The utility reported that about 135,000 customers were without electricity at the height of the storm around 1 a.m., and that the figure had fallen to roughly 63,000 by 7 a.m. as crews worked to restore service.
The hardest-hit areas include Prince George, Surrey, Duncan and Port Hardy. Strong winds have brought down trees and branches, damaging power lines, poles and other electrical equipment. Since the series of storms began on Friday, more than 380,000 customer outages have been reported across the province, and power has been restored to approximately 317,000 customers so far.
BC Hydro spokesperson Whitney Deane said the utility had prepared for the storm and had crews and resources ready to respond immediately. « Our crews are making good progress, but with strong winds continuing this morning, we expect to see additional damage and outages before conditions improve, » Deane said. She added that the utility appreciated customers’ patience as crews worked as quickly and safely as possible.
According to Environment Canada, a yellow wind warning was in effect for the Interior from noon Sunday to early that evening. Another strong low pressure system was bringing southeasterly winds with gusts of 60 to 80 km/h across the Interior, and these winds were expected to peak Sunday morning. Winds were then forecast to ease slightly before an incoming cold front brought southwesterly winds, with gusts possibly reaching 90 km/h starting late Sunday morning in some western regions. Those winds were expected to ease by Sunday evening.
BC Hydro said its storm response would continue around the clock until power had been restored to all affected customers. Restoration estimates will be updated as crews assess damage and determine what repairs are needed. Residents are advised to stay at least 10 metres away from downed or damaged power lines and to call 911 to report them. Current outage information and estimated restoration times are available at
In an update released Saturday, City of Prince George officials said parks staff were aware of fallen trees in a number of park locations across the city. The city said those trees would be addressed in the coming days, after higher-priority tree clean-up had been completed.