Gusts up to 170 km/h recorded off Vancouver Island

Tens of thousands of people, primarily on Vancouver Island, were without power overnight after hurricane-force wind gusts from a “bomb cyclone” system blasted southwest British Columbia on Tuesday night and into Wednesday.

Gusts of up to 170 km/h were recorded at the Sartine Island weather station just off the coast of northern Vancouver Island, according to Environment Canada, as the storm brought down trees and power lines across the South Coast.

As of 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday, around 70,000 B.C. Hydro customers on Vancouver Island were still without power. That number was as high as 150,000 on Tuesday.