Several ferry trips between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland are cancelled and many residents in the south Island are without power as winds rage on the coast of B.C.
The first two morning sailings each way on Tuesday (Jan. 9) sailings between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen were cancelled by the BC Ferry Service in a statement issued Monday, citing weather.
The 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. were cancelled as a result of Environment Canada’s severe weather forecast for high winds and predicted wave height in the Strait of Georgia.
The 7:45 and 10:15 between Duke Point in Nanaimo and Tsawwassen are also list as “at risk” of not running, with staff monitoring the weather.
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A total 26 outages on the south Island, as of 6 a.m., meant more than 10,000 residents from Nanaimo south awaking without power Tuesday morning.
In Greater Victoria larger outages include several on the Saanich Peninsula, including 840 North Saanich homes along West Saanich Road near Pat Bay and more than 1,200 households north east of the airport right up to Swartz Bay. The BC Hydro outage map shows all incidents “under investigation” with crews assigned.
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A tree on the wires has most of Sooke without power, impacting more than 1,200 customers, according to BC Hydro. Crews are on site.
Traffic is detouring after with a tree on the powerlines and roadway, closing Highway 14 in both directions between Westside Road and Kemp Lake Road.
⛔️CLOSED #BCHwy14 - The road is closed in both directions between Westside Rd and Kemp Lake Rd due to risk of a falling tree and downed powerlines. Crews on scene. Detour available. #Sooke #VanIsle
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) January 9, 2024
ℹ️https://t.co/h4Q1bnnYcl pic.twitter.com/9q9OzLeEU6
Winds in the region are set to continue Tuesday, according to Environment Canada with westerly winds of 70 km/h gusting to 90. The winds will fall below warning criteria this afternoon as the system begins to depart the region.
Wind, rain and snow are forecast as a dramatic drop in temperatures is expected to hit the region – as low as -8 C Thursday in Victoria – with a chance of flurries overnight and Friday.