A robust storm that swept across the B.C. South Coast Friday night and Saturday brought damaging winds that resulted in peak power outages that exceeded 200,000 customers, and led to a landslide that closed down a part of Highway 99.
The landslide resulted in the closure of a section of Highway 99 on Saturday, at Brunswick Beach near Lions Bay, and a six-hour detour around it.
However, that part of the Sea to Sky Highway has now reopened, according to a post from the Resort Municipality of Whistler on X.
“Drive BC is reporting the highway is now open in both directions between Lions Bay Avenue and Brunswick Beach Road following Saturday’s landslide. Thank you to the crews who worked overnight to clear the debris,” the Resort Municipality of Whistler said in the post.
As the debris cleanup on parts of Highway 99 finished Sunday, BC Hydro officials are still working on power restoration efforts.
Damaging wind gusts from Saturday’s storm brought down hydro poles and uprooted trees, leading to a rapid escalation of electricity outages on the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
During the height of the storm, roughly 240,000 BC Hydro customers were without power in the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast. Vancouver Island, northern and southern sections combined, had just under 20,000 customers in the dark.
As of early Sunday morning, there are approximately 5,000 customers still without power, according to B.C. Hydro.
Some of the strongest, peak wind gusts during the storm were as follows, according to a preliminary summary released by Environment and Climate Change Canada as of 8 p.m. PST on Saturday, Dec. 14.
Solander: 117 km/h
Saturna Island: 115 km/h
Sisters Island: 100 km/h
Sand Heads 100 km/h
Kelp Reef: 100 km/h
#BCStorm update: More than 250 crews and contractor crews have been working throughout the day, and additional resources have been brought in from unaffected regions to provide additional support. All available crews will work into the night and throughout the day tomorrow to… pic.twitter.com/GDjBwCqw0R
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) December 15, 2024
B.C. will see another system through Sunday and Monday, but it is expected to be less impactful than the weekend storm.
Watch the video preceding the article for the full story on the highway reopening.
With files from Rhythm Reet, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
Follow Nathan Howes on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Bluesky.
