Winds reaching speeds up to 100 km/h across Vancouver Island forced cancellations of regular ferry crossings and knocked out power to thousands Tuesday morning.
Environment Canada issued a warning for the high wind speeds at 5:06 a.m., saying damage to buildings, including roof shingles and windows, could occur.
They also added that people should avoid wooded areas due to the risk of flying debris, and that campers should seek shelter.
Dozens of power outages were reported across Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
As of 9 a.m. BC Hydro reported around 1,300 homes were without power on Gabriola Island, with about 500 more each on Denman and Galiano Islands.
An earlier outage on Galiano also knocked out power to over 2,500 households at 3:38 a.m. and was restored by 8:30 a.m.
BC Ferries cancelled two sailings along the Tsawwassen – Duke Point route due to adverse weather conditions, at 5:15 a.m. from Tsawwassen and 7:45 a.m. from Duke Point.
Wind gusts up to 90 km/h are expected to continue throughout the day, calming to 50 km/h later in the evening.
