Vancouver storm triggers widespread power outages as BC Hydro crews work to restore service

A powerful windstorm combined with an atmospheric river has knocked out power to thousands across British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, leaving many residents without electricity through Monday morning, December 15. According to Vancouver Is Awesome, the South B.C. Coast was drenched over the weekend and into Monday after a rainfall warning forecast 50 to 70 millimeters of precipitation, with totals reaching up to 150 mm in the Howe Sound. Environment Canada said the system also brought southeasterly winds of 30 km/h, gusting up to 60 km/h.

By early Monday morning, around 24,000 BC Hydro customers were without power due to the storm. By 11 a.m. on Monday, BC Hydro reported 35 outages affecting 4,748 customers across the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast. One of the largest outages occurred in Abbotsford, where 4,608 customers lost power following the weather event, notes the outlet.

BC Hydro’s outage map shows several disruptions caused by fallen trees on power lines or listed simply as “windstorm,” while a small number were attributed to planned maintenance. Some outages persisted for hours, including one in Richmond that left 270 customers without power since just after 4 a.m., despite crews being on site.


BC Hydro, in a series of tweets, shared that crews are responding to multiple power outages across British Columbia, with restoration efforts underway in several communities.

In Fort Langley, crews are working to restore electricity to 371 customers, according to BC Hydro. Separate outage responses are also underway in Fintry and surrounding areas, where teams have been dispatched and updates are expected as work progresses.


Further east, BC Hydro said crews are on their way to outages affecting hundreds of customers in the Kootenay region. In Silverton and New Denver, one outage has left 541 customers without power, while another outage is impacting 544 customers in New Denver alone.


BC Hydro said updates on restoration timelines will be shared as they become available.