Wind, snow, as storm hits several parts of B.C

A storm battered coastal British Columbia with wind, while it blanketed many other parts of the province in snow.

Much of coastal British Columbia is braced for a brief but powerful windstorm while snowfall and winter storm warnings stretch from the inland north coast all the way to the northeast corner of the province.

Environment Canada says a fast-moving cold front crossing the south coast and a low-pressure system north of Vancouver Island will create winds up to 90 km/h in the south and 110 km/h over northern parts of the Island and central coast.

The system arrives at the same time as unusually high tides, raising the potential for flooding and prompting cities such as Courtenay and Delta to issue storm surge advisories or install portable flood barriers along low-lying areas.

Expected winds caused BC Ferries to cancel many morning sailings between Vancouver Island and the Mainland, but forecasters say winds should ease by afternoon — although they will remain gusty.

BC Hydro says tens of thousands of its customers were without power Tuesday as the winds knocked down trees and damaged the electrical system.

We're aware of an outage affecting 2,904 customers in #SurreyBC. Crews will be assigned to the area and share updates here: https://t.co/Es7pSY70qd pic.twitter.com/MCWoTYU82s

— BC Hydro (@bchydro) November 17, 2020

High winds can cause trees and branches to knock down power lines and damage poles. If you see a downed or damaged power line or pole, it's an emergency. Stay back 10 metres and dial 9-1-1: https://t.co/YBY68es8Sd #BCStorm pic.twitter.com/aGsBWtdRIS

— BC Hydro (@bchydro) November 17, 2020

Strong winds on Tuesday morning have caused multiple outages on northern #VancouverIsland, particularly in #CampbellRiver. Crews are sharing available power outage updates here: https://t.co/WHnYWayTx2 #BCStorm pic.twitter.com/9DXMaGNnM5

— BC Hydro (@bchydro) November 17, 2020

In northeastern B.C., the weather office says heavy snow won't end over the Fort Nelson region until Wednesday as that area and the Peace River region could see accumulations up to 25 centimetres.

Slightly less snow is expected over north-central B.C. but as much as 30 centimetres is forecast for inland sections of the north coast, including Kitimat and Terrace, while winds up to 70 km/h will make conditions miserable until the storm ends late in the evening.