THE LATEST:
- Schoolchildren on Vancouver Island have had to shelter in place, and Highway 4 has been closed near Port Alberni due to downed trees on Vancouver Island.
- Multiple ferry routes have been cancelled, and others are at risk of cancellation, to and from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland due to high winds.
- More than 100,000 B.C. Hydro customers are without power on Vancouver Island, as wind gusts of up to 150 km/h are expected.
- Most highways in B.C. require vehicles to have winter tires or chains from Oct. 1 until April 30. Drivers can check DriveBC for the latest road conditions along their planned route.
- Short on power or need to preserve data? Read a low-bandwidth version of this story on CBC Lite.
Students on Vancouver Island have been stranded by downed power lines as a “bomb cyclone” with predicted hurricane-level wind gusts that formed in the Pacific Ocean 400 kilometres west of the Island Tuesday hits the B.C. coast.
As of 7:20 p.m. PT, over 100,000 B.C. Hydro customers on Vancouver Island were without power.
In a post to Facebook just before 4 p.m. PT, the Sooke School District says that downed power lines on Highway 14 have cut off school bus routes, with no clear update on when the roads will be reopened.
The students are now sheltering at another school in the region. A spokesperson said about nine students from nearby First Nations were sheltering along with a bus driver.
Elsewhere, the Port Alberni Fire Department says it is responding after a tree fell on a logging truck on Highway 4 near Port Alberni.
Fire Chief Mike Owens said in an email that the truck cab sustained considerable damage, but the driver was unhurt.
The Port Alberni RCMP said in a statement that multiple motor vehicle incidents have been reported on the stretch, which has been closed due to downed trees and high winds.
Officials are warning of more road closures, ferry cancellations and power outages as the storm system rolls in.
Wind warnings issued Monday evening cover the entirety of B.C.’s coast, with Environment Canada forecasting easterly wind speeds of 90 km/h, gusting up to 120 km/h, with the most severe winds expected heading into Tuesday night.
A cyclone is the term used when masses of warm and cool air collide to create spiralling winds, with forecasters saying the “bomb” portion of the name refers to a rapid pressure drop of over 24 millibars (the unit used to measure air pressure) in 24 hours.
Wind warnings issued Monday evening cover the entirety of B.C.’s coast. Environment Canada says easterly wind speeds of 90 km/h, gusting up to 120 km/h, will develop starting Tuesday afternoon in coastal areas. CBC News Climate and Science Specialist Darius Mahdavi provides this update to BC Today host Amy Bell.
The bomb cyclone, which formed 400 kilometres west of Tofino, B.C., could see a pressure drop of 60 millibars over a 24-hour stretch at the centre of the storm — which forecasters say is highly unusual for B.C.
CBC science communicator Darius Mahdavi said current modelling shows the storm’s central pressure could be comparable to that of a Category 3 or 4 hurricane.
He said northern parts of Vancouver Island will likely see the strongest winds, with gusts up to 150 km/h. Special weather statements were issued Tuesday for inland sections of B.C., covering much of the province except the southeast corner and far north, warning of a “significant fall storm.”
Ferries cancelled
Brian Proctor, an Environment Canada meteorologist, said the strong low-pressure system off the coast will also cause strong easterly outflow winds to rip through B.C.’s coastal valleys.
“We’re likely to see power outages. I wouldn’t be surprised to see B.C. Ferries having some shutdowns as well [Tuesday] through the afternoon, evening hours,” Proctor told CBC News on Monday.
⚠️ <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TravelAdvisory?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TravelAdvisory</a> ⚠️<br>Service on multiple routes will be impacted starting this evening due to a significant storm bringing very strong winds to BC’s coast.<a href=”https://twitter.com/environmentca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@EnvironmentCA</a> Wind Warnings & Special Weather Statements are in effect.<br><br>Service Notices<br>👉<a href=”https://t.co/UTXBKfPKcl”>https://t.co/UTXBKfPKcl</a><br><br>(1/5) <a href=”https://t.co/53X7iFOqLJ”>pic.twitter.com/53X7iFOqLJ</a>
—@BCFerries
B.C. Ferries has issued a travel advisory in anticipation of the storm, lasting through until Wednesday. Customers are being asked to check the ferry service’s website ahead of travel.
As of noon PT on Tuesday, several evening sailings between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island have been cancelled. Sailings between Metro Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast and one between Sechelt and Powell River have also been cancelled.
B.C. Ferries says Northern Gulf Island sailings are at risk of cancellations. Evening sailings to and from Galiano Island in the Southern Gulf Islands have been cancelled.
Power outages
Armel Castellan, another meteorologist with the weather office, said the strong outflow winds from the Interior that will arrive on Tuesday afternoon are something officials hadn’t seen yet so far this season.
“When we talk about wind strength, we also need to talk about wind direction. And we consider that the first time we see a strong wind in a new direction as a time to be vigilant,” he said.
“Because the forests — or certainly the trees that line our power cables, transmission lines — are going to be tested in a new way.”
Kevin Aquino, a spokesperson for the utility, told CBC News that some crews were dispatched to more remote areas, including north Vancouver Island, ahead of the storm.
“These crews should be working overnight and well into the evening … to make sure that restoration and repair times are expedited,” he said Tuesday morning.
Rain, snow coming
Proctor says that the bomb cyclone will also bring some rain and snow at higher elevations to much of coastal B.C. — though the amounts wouldn’t be as much as an atmospheric river system that brought flash floods to the South Coast in October.
“If this flow is coming in 200 or 300 kilometres further to the east, we would be seeing tremendous impacts upon the inner South Coast and all of Vancouver Island,” Proctor said.
Mahdavi said higher elevations in some areas could get nearly a metre of snow by Wednesday night.
A hurricane is described as a cyclone with sustained wind speeds of at least 119 km/h, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
Tuesday’s storm is the second major windstorm to hit B.C.’s South Coast in a week, with one that hit on Nov. 12 causing tens of thousands of properties to lose power.
CBC science specialist Darius Mahdavi breaks down the incoming windstorm that is forming off the west coast of Vancouver Island, with its effects set to be most severe on Tuesday night.
Communities prepare
Meanwhile, communities on Vancouver Island prepared for downed lines and power outages earlier Tuesday.
David McAra, Victoria’s acting assistant director of engineering and public works, said crews will be preparing backup generators and preparing for road closures where needed — in particular, McAra said, in spots where waves breach the seawall and bring debris up onto the road.
“I think this is the third major sort of storm event in November,” he said. “So we’ve had a little bit of practice.”
Beach access to Gonzales Park is closed, as well as walkway sections at Ross Bay beach, according to a post made by the city on X.
💨 A wind warning is in effect, with gusts up to 100 km/h expected until late Wednesday.<br>Please exercise caution near the coastline.<br>Staff have closed beach access to Gonzales Park & walkway sections at Ross Bay beach. Follow signage & do not enter closed areas.
—@CityOfVictoria