Environment Canada is warning of strong winds sweeping across Vancouver Island as a storm system approaches from the west, bringing strong winds and very heavy rain on Christmas Day.
Strong winds are forecast to begin Monday afternoon and intensify through the evening on western and northern Vancouver Island. Late in the evening, the winds will increase through the Strait of Georgia and the Juan de Fuca Strait and hit East Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria and areas near the water of Metro Vancouver.
for regions where severe impacts may occur: the north Island, the eastern and western coasts, and Greater Victoria.
On the North Island, wind speeds could go up to 120 kilometres an hour, causing damage to roof shingles and windows, the weather agency said. Gusts elsewhere could reach 110 km/h or 100 km/h.
Coastal areas of West Vancouver Island may experience flooding due to a storm surge, Environment Canada said. The system will move out of the area before Tuesday morning.
The powerful frontal system driving the storm is forecast to hit the south coast and Vancouver Island early Wednesday morning. Very strong winds and heavy rain are expected to last until late in the evening.
That's expected to be followed by a weaker low-pressure system late on Thursday that will bring strong winds across Vancouver Island and the south coast overnight.
Environment Canada told residents to be prepared for power outages caused by downed trees and falling tree branches.
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, almost 3,600 in Port Hardy, Campbell River, Qualicum Beach and Tofino, with two of the outages caused by downed trees on power lines. The other two were still under investigation.
The previous weekend, a storm cut power to more than 300,000 小蓝视频 Hydro customers in the province, including about 17,000 on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
