Strong gusts down trees, cut power to thousands of B.C. south coast homes

VANCOUVER – A powerful windstorm knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of customers across B.C.’s south coast early Thursday morning.

Environment Canada says potentially damaging wind gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour are sweeping across most of region.

Conditions are expected to improve by the afternoon but wind warnings remain posted for most of Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, Central Coast, Sunshine Coast and Howe Sound.

B.C. Hydro’s power outage website shows more than 90-thousand customers were affected Thursday morning.

B.C. Ferries cancelled its early runs from Comox to Powell River, while other several other sailings between Tsawwassen and Vancouver Island were running as much as an hour behind schedule.

Richmond RCMP report a tree toppled onto a car in that city, but no one was hurt, and fallen trees also complicated the morning commute in other Metro Vancouver suburbs, and on the Sunshine Coast.

On #VancouverIsland, 14,000 customers in dark. Here’s what #bcstorm looks like on Salt Spring. (via @GIDriftwood) pic.twitter.com/aBMOYtFexe

— Laura Baziuk (@LauraBaziuk) March 10, 2016

That is one heck of a high tide! #Vancouver #bcstorm @amybp76 @JWagstaffe pic.twitter.com/kjNP26LrLq

— Kirk Williams (@KirkWilliamsVAN) March 10, 2016

#bcstorm claims the limb of a tree in our yard in #Mission. pic.twitter.com/dw4zp0YZoB

— Owen Munro (@omunroLC) March 10, 2016