Tens of thousands without power, ferries cancelled after 'bomb cyclone' batters B.C. coast

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 nearly 160 km/h were recorded at the Sartine Island weather station just off the coast of northern Vancouver Island, as the storm brought down trees and power lines across the South Coast.

As of 6 a.m. PT on Wednesday, almost 90,000 B.C. Hydro customers on Vancouver Island were still without power. That number was as high as 150,000 on Tuesday.

Most ferry routes, including major routes between Vancouver and the Island — have cancelled their first round trips on Wednesday, said Jeff Groot with B.C. Ferries. 

"They make these decisions based off a couple things: wind speed, wave height, and really, at the end of the day, is it safe," said Groot. 

He said the company is speaking with Environment Canada around 9 a.m. PT for an update to determine if further cancellations are required. 

B.C. Ferries is advising travellers to check its service notices page prior to travel. 

Meanwhile, Langara College in Vancouver said it had closed all classes and services on its West 49th Avenue campus until at least noon Wednesday, due to fallen trees and disrupted power lines. 

The "bomb cyclone" system sent outflow winds roaring through B.C.'s coastal valleys, triggering wind warnings across the coast and special weather statements far inland on Tuesday.

A cyclone is the term used when masses of warm and cool air collide to create spiralling winds, while forecasters say the "bomb" portion of the name refers to a rapid pressure drop of over 24 millibars (the unit used to measure air pressure) in 24 hours. In this case, the bomb cyclone formed around 400 kilometres west of Tofino, B.C.

Satellite footage of the 'bomb cyclone' forming over the Pacific Ocean:

"It's a very widespread wind event, which is part of the problem, but also very long lasting," said CBC science communicator Darius Mahdavi on Tuesday evening.

"Where usually a wind event like this might last six to 10 hours, this one's going to last anywhere from 12 to 20 hours across parts of the coast."

Meteorologists predicted the storm would be accompanied by rain and snow, with Mahdavi saying higher elevations in some areas could get nearly a metre of snow by Wednesday night.