For a second straight day, Greater Victoria was hit by high winds that toppled massive trees across the region.
Environment and Climate Change Canada renewed a wind warning for the region Tuesday morning, alerting people to the possibility of wind speeds reaching as high as 90 km/h in some parts of Greater Victoria in the morning. The warning was rescinded as of Tuesday afternoon.
In Oak Bay, a large Garry oak tree came down near the intersection of Queen Anne Heights and Fairfield Road. Despite the sheer size of the tree that fell, no one was injured in the incident.
The tree did fall on a set of power lines and managed to break a connecting pole, which caused some residents in the area to lose power. Pedestrians and vehicles are advised to avoid the area at this time.
Here’s a look at some #BCstorm damage in #YYJ 💨 This big Garry Oak came down on Queen Anne’s Heights off Fairfield Rd, knocking out power. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
More @CHEK_News @CHEK_media📷 Mark Innes #BCwx #weather #storm @bchydro pic.twitter.com/wL3xM3IXIi
— Tess van Straaten (@tessvanstraaten) April 5, 2022
Winds were expected to continue throughout the morning with the gusts becoming less intense by the afternoon.
“High winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions due to high winds,” Environment Canada said in a statement on its website.
The agency adds that the winds may cause a “risk of tree limb breakage and power outages.”
BC Hydro says that it has continued to be busy dealing with power outages on the South Island as well.
Over 500 people are without power along Highway 14 in the area of Jordan River, while over 200 are in the dark in the Metchosin area due to a tree down across wires.
Further north, more than 1,000 homes and businesses were still without power Tuesday afternoon, including more than 700 BC Hydro customers in the Tahsis and Zeballos areas.
More than 1,000 customers remained without power on Pender, Mayne, and Saturna islands as well.
To keep up to date with the latest power outages, customers can visit BC Hydro’s Outages Map online.
Graham Cox
Kori Sidaway
