Thousands without power on Vancouver Island as windstorm wreaks havoc

Thousands of people were left without power on Vancouver Island as an intense windstorm knocked trees onto power lines Thursday.

BC Hydro reported more than 1,800 customers were experiencing outages on the North Island and nearly 1,200 on the South Island.

The high winds were part of an intense low pressure system that prompted Environment Canada to issue wind warnings for the north, east and west parts of Vancouver Island.

Meteorologists said they were expecting gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour on the outer coasts of the island, and even up to 120 kilometre an hours on exposed parts of the north coast.

The winds are expected to ease Thursday night, but will be followed by an intense low pressure system on Sunday and Monday that is expected to also bring strong winds to the region.

Editorial Policies Report an Error