Winter roared in with a vengeance today, bringing more than 25 centimeters of snow to parts of southern Vancouver Island and causing severe flooding in other areas.
Heavy, wet snow left more 43,000 customers on Vancouver Island in the dark as of 3:00 p.m. on Monday and that number reached closed to 50,000 later in the day.
BC Hydro crews are working to restore power all over the southern half of the Island.
The heaviest hit regions are Duncan, the Gulf Islands, Victoria and Nanaimo.
Crews have been brought in from the mainland but as of Tuesday morning, about 15,000 customers were still without power.
BC Hydro says the power outages are caused by the snow, which adds weight to branches and trees, causing them to break and fall on power lines and other electrical equipment.
But the heavy, wet snow is also making it especially difficult and dangerous for hydro crews to repair the damage.
“All available resources will continue to work throughout the day and into the night to make repairs and restore power. Difficult conditions, including snow and ice on roads, are creating additional challenges for crews,” said the power company in a release on Monday.
BC Hydro says it has received numerous reports of downed power lines and reminds everyone to keep at least 10 metres back and to call 911.
With so many without power, BC Hydro asks for patience, as crews work to restore the damage. It also asks that members of the public follow physical distancing guidelines and provide crews with the space they need to complete their work safely.
For more details and the latest updates, please check the Outage Map from BC Hydro.
In addition to the power outages, Vancouver Islanders are being impacted by difficult driving conditions along roads and highways.
DriveBC continues to push out messages of caution to drivers as webcams show snowy conditions, particularly on the Malahat summit and near Shawnigan Lake Road.
#Malahat – Wet with glare at the bottom, snow at the top. Please use extra caution today and preview your route @DriveBC https://t.co/Rjh5uhiMCi#yyj #vanisle #shiftintowinter pic.twitter.com/4RkeVZL9fZ
— BC Transportation (@TranBC) December 21, 2020
Drivers are being warned of limited visibility and slippery surfaces and DriveBC is suggesting people avoid all non-essential travel.
Central Saanich Police indicated that multiple vehicle incidents on Keating Cross Road were affecting traffic in both directions earlier today, however traffic had reopened as of 2:15 p.m.
12:19pm – Multiple MVIs on Keating Cross Road are affecting traffic in both directions. Please avoid the area if possible. #csaan #yyjtraffic pic.twitter.com/tMZBUSY8hD
— cspoliceservice (@cspoliceservice) December 21, 2020
BC Ferries have also seen an impact from the weather and recently announced the cancellation of multiple major sailings throughout Monday afternoon and evening.
For updates on sailings, passengers can visit BC Ferries’ Travel Advisories Page
Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning on Sunday for Port Alberni, Lake Cowichan and inland Vancouver Island as well as a warning Monday morning for Greater Victoria — Malahat Highway-Goldstream to Mill Bay.
Rebecca Lawrence
Graham Cox
Tess van Straaten
