Vancouver Island villages without power for days, northern B.C. under weather warning

Snowfall and extreme cold warnings blanketed northern B.C. Saturday, while two remote communities on Vancouver Island entered their fifth day without power due to winter storms.

B.C. Hydro president and CEO Chris O'Riley said in a statement posted on Twitter that crews were facing particularly challenging conditions repairing power lines to Tahsis and Zeballos.

Major repairs should be completed Sunday at which point the lines could be re-energized, he said, though additional work might be needed to fully restore electricity. Several major structures were damaged on the line.

“Because of its remote location, helicopter support is needed to complete repairs and our crews have been at the mercy of weather windows to be able to fly safely, all while dealing with snow shoulder deep in some areas,” O'Riley said.

BC Hydro's website showed 711 customers in the communities on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island have been without power since Tuesday.

Winter storms have ravaged B.C. for the past several weeks, bringing unusual amounts of snow and frigid temperatures to places like Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island.

On Saturday, weather warnings were concentrated in northern B.C., while the more populous regions of southern B.C. saw less severe weather statements in effect.

“Right now we're looking at a fairly major system pushing onto the B.C. coast, but fortunately, most of the snow associated with it will stay to the north of the Lower Mainland,” said Gregg Walters, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

A Pacific frontal system moving northeastward brought warnings of heavy snow and extreme cold to areas like Prince George, Quesnel, the Bulkley Valley and other districts.