A second powerful windstorm swept across British Columbia overnight Saturday, killing one person in Surrey and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity, according to CBC.
The Surrey Police Service said a tree came down across Highway 10 between 182 and 184 Streets at roughly 8 p.m. PT, pinning two vehicles. One driver was declared dead at the scene, while the other motorist sustained minor injuries. The highway was shut overnight and has since reopened with one lane running in each direction.
Why it matters
The fatality and the widespread outages mark the second major wind event to hit the province in quick succession, and the disruption stretched from Vancouver Island to the Central Interior. At the height of the storm, about 135,000 B.C. Hydro customers lost service, CBC reports. By Sunday morning that figure had fallen to more than 63,000, with over half of the remaining outages concentrated in the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast.
How hard the wind blew
Environment Canada recorded gusts reaching 90 km/h over Vancouver Island, up to 80 km/h at Prince George and as high as 70 km/h in the Lower Mainland, according to CBC.
B.C. Hydro identified Surrey, Duncan, Port Hardy and Prince George as the communities hit hardest. Crews were working through Sunday to restore service.
Wind warnings remained posted for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast and all of Vancouver Island south of Sayward. Environment and Climate Change Canada also issued warnings for the Central Interior, covering Prince George, Stuart-Nechako and the Lakes district, where gusts could again approach 90 km/h. The agency expected the wind to ease by midday.
Ferries resume after a day of cancellations
B.C. Ferries cancelled sailings on several routes on Saturday as the gusts moved through. On Sunday the operator said conditions had improved enough to return to its normal timetable.
The storm follows an earlier wind event that also knocked out power across the province, and the back-to-back hits have left utility crews facing a lengthy restoration effort in some of the hardest-hit areas.
What to watch: whether the remaining wind warnings expire on schedule by midday, and how quickly B.C. Hydro can bring the remaining customers back online.
