NANAIMO — A rain and wind-packed storm system is causing disruptions locally.
Making landfall overnight Thursday, Nov. 5, the first of multiple anticipated storms hitting Coastal B.C. this weekend have caused thousands of residents to wake up without power.
BC Hydro is reporting that thousands of people are currently without power, primarily in the Cedar, Yellow Point areas, and southern half of Gabriola Island and Mudge Island as of 10 a.m. Friday morning, with wires and trees down being blamed.
Thousands more BC Hydro customers are without power in the Oceanside region, affecting customers in Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Coombs and Errington areas as of Friday morning, with those numbers expected to change as the day goes on.
Crews are responding to restore power throughout the region.
Around 2,300 people in the Mudge Island area were without power early Friday, with crews on site for this outage by 8 a.m., with no current estimate of when the power will return. (Image Credit: BC Hydro)
Wind and rain warnings have also been put into place for much of Coastal B.C., and almost all of Vancouver Island, except for a small sliver on the east side, from Nanaimo to Cobble Hill, but are surrounded by weather warnings on all sides.
Winds of 70 kilometres an hour, gusting up to 90, are expected from Nanoose Bay to Campbell River until at least Friday afternoon.
Rainfall warnings are in place for much of western and central Vancouver Island, with those areas expected to see between 100 and 130 millimetres on Friday, while some areas may experience up to 175 millimetres locally or over higher terrain.
A High Streamflow Advisory has also been issued for much of Vancouver Island, excluding the Nanaimo, Oceanside, and Comox areas as of Friday morning.
BC Ferries cancelled several Friday morning sailings from both Duke Point and Departure Bay, with several other sailings at risk of being cancelled as they monitor weather conditions.
Motorists are asked to watch for the potential of water pooling on highways and roads, as well as watch for falling branches.
Consistent rainfall is forecast by Environment Canada for the mid-Island region over the next week.
Windy conditions are expected to recede overnight Friday, however southeast gusts of 40 kilometres an hour near the ocean are anticipated Saturday.
This story will be updated as weather, power, and BC Ferries conditions evolve and new information becomes available.
By 11 a.m. Friday morning, dozens of outages of various sizes are impacting much of eastern Vancouver Island. (Image Credit: BC Hydro)
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