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Power outages affect thousands of BC Hydro customers in Metro Vancouver

An atmospheric river has brought a parade of storms to the region over the past several days.
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Windy Metro Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­weather has caused power outages across the Lower Mainland and may continue to overnight on January 31, 2024, according to BC Hydro.

Strong winds and heavy rain left upwards of 2,000 Metro Vancouverites without power on Wednesday, Jan 31 morning. 

An atmospheric river has brought a parade of storms to the region over the past several days, resulting in heavy rainfall and winds gusting up to 50 km. 

As of 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday,  from 28 outages across the Sunshine Coast and in the Lower Mainland, according to BC Hydro's outage list.

Fallen tree takes power offline in Vancouver

In a Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­power outage, a fallen tree left 709 customers without power in the South Cambie neighbourhood.

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Photo: BC Hydro

Crews were also on-site at an outage affecting 1,500 customers in West Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­early Wednesday morning.

Windy Metro Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­weather causes power outages 

Spokesperson Kyle Donaldson said most outages that are currently listed on the website are as a result of planned work on BC Hydro's equipment. However, inclement weather, particularly wind, is the biggest cause of power outages in B.C.

"We prepare for storm season year-round so our crews can activate storm response plans at a moment's notice," he told V.I.A., adding that the company has a team of in-house meteorologists that monitor incoming weather systems.

"We have crews and contractor crews ready if any issues come up."

Since it is difficult to predict how much damage a storm will cause, BC Hydro encourages customers to stay prepared with an emergency kit, including a flashlight, batteries, first aid kit, water, and food.

The Metro Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­weather forecast includes more windy weather and rain overnight Wednesday, although the sun is expected to return on the weekend.

Locals looking to head out on road trips should be wary of poor travel conditions on B.C. highways. The heavy rainfall has caused landslides in high-traffic areas and resulted in large power outages in areas like Hope.

To report a power outage, call 1 800 BCHYDRO (1-800-224-9376) or *HYDRO (*49376) on your mobile or .

Check the  for more information on updates.


Stay up-to-date with changes in expected precipitation and wind across 50 neighbourhoods in the Lower Mainland with V.I.A.'s Weatherhood.