Wind warnings for Metro Vancouver, Victoria tonight

Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria as a second strong storm moves toward the B.C. coast, with gusts of 90 km/h expected this evening.

The warning for Metro Vancouver, which covers the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Delta, Surrey and Langley, calls for southeasterly winds of 70 km/h gusting to 90 starting early this evening and easing near midnight. Gusty southwesterly winds will develop overnight and last until Sunday morning. Greater Victoria and the Southern Gulf Islands are under a similar warning.

“Local utility outages are possible,” the weather office said. It also warned of a risk of injury from flying or falling debris and asked people to secure loose objects.

The strongest winds are forecast farther up the coast. North Vancouver Island is under a warning for southeasterly gusts to 110 km/h on Saturday morning, and West Vancouver Island for winds of 80 km/h gusting to 100 this afternoon, shifting to southwesterly gusts to 110 km/h late this evening until Sunday morning. Inland Vancouver Island can expect gusts to 90 km/h tonight.

Heavy rain comes with the wind. Environment Canada expects 100 to 120 mm on northern sections of west Vancouver Island, mainly between Zeballos and Tahsis, and 70 to 100 mm elsewhere in the region. A rainfall warning for the Fraser Canyon, between Boston Bar and Lytton, calls for up to 50 mm, and the agency warned that landslides may occur on steep slopes, deforested areas and recent burn scars.

Coastal flooding statements are in effect along the west coast of Vancouver Island, where storm surge could coincide with high tide near noon on Saturday and again on Sunday, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. In the B.C. Interior, a special weather statement calls for southeasterly gusts of 60 to 80 km/h from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening, peaking Sunday morning.

The storm follows the system that led to dozens of cancelled sailings and thousands of power outages on Friday. We reported on that in BC Ferries cancels sailings as storm hits B.C. coast, and earlier on the rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver. BC Ferries customers should check service notices before travelling to a terminal.

British Columbians can report severe weather to [email protected] or on social media with #BCStorm. Current alerts are posted on the Environment Canada website.

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