BC Hydro says about 80,000 customers lost power at the peak of Friday’s storm, with outages continuing into Saturday.
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Strong winds and heavy storms knocked out power across British Columbia on Friday, with BC Hydro saying about 80,000 customers were without electricity at the peak.
High winds knocked down trees and branches, leading to widespread power outages across the province, the utility said.
By Saturday, about 40,000 customers were still without power, BC Hydro reported as crews worked to restore service.
Among the harder-hit areas named by BC Hydro were Prince George in northern B.C., as well as Port Hardy, Courtenay and Qualicum on Vancouver Island.
The River Forecast Centre said the rainfall is part of a series of atmospheric river systems expected to drench coastal areas in the coming days.
It said waterways were rising rapidly, with flows in parts of northern and western Vancouver Island reaching two- to five-year return levels on Friday.
High streamflow advisories cover most of the island as well as the south and central coasts, including the Sea to Sky region and the lower Fraser River basin.
Environment Canada also issued a coastal flooding statement for much of Vancouver Island’s west coast, warning that elevated ocean levels combined with strong winds and waves could push waters above the highest astronomical tides.
The statement said minor flooding along low-lying shorelines is likely this weekend.
A wind warning was in effect for parts of Metro Vancouver, with strong winds gusting up to 90 km/h expected to develop early Saturday evening and last until Sunday.
The River Forecast Centre said a second bout of rain would arrive later Saturday and stretch into Sunday, with the heaviest downpours expected on Vancouver Island and in the Sea to Sky and Howe Sound areas, along with the North Shore mountains.
BC Hydro said a third storm expected to hit Monday may bring a more prolonged period of rainfall across the coast through next week.
Whitney Deane, a spokeswoman with BC Hydro, said Friday’s storm caused significant damage and added that additional weather systems are expected through mid-week, with winds that “could be more impactful than what we’ve seen so far.”
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