Homes just south of Nanaimo's downtown core were without power around 6:15 p.m., with properties in the core itself going dark a short time after this photo was taken. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

powers out

Over 30,000 homes across Nanaimo, Gabriola & Oceanside without power as wind storm hits

Nov 19, 2024 | 6:37 PM

NANAIMO — A forecasted ‘bomb cyclone’ storm system has caused swift and widespread impacts to the region’s power grid.

BC Hydro reports over 30,000 of its customers from south of Nanaimo to north of Qualicum Beach were without power as of 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Most major populated centres had major outages including large sections of Harewood, Country Club, Departure Bay, north Nanaimo and East Wellington, Lantzville, Nanoose Bay, Parksville and Qualicum Beach.

Areas on the north Island saw outages for upwards of 90,000 households and businesses.

powers out

Over 30,000 homes across Nanaimo, Gabriola & Oceanside without power as wind storm hits

3h ago

move that snow

Snow removal for priority walking routes in Parksville under consideration

6h ago

expect delays

Some Nanaimo ferries cancelled ahead of wind storms arrival

8h ago

The storm also caused the closure of Hwy. 4 at Cathedral Grove due to excessive debris on the roadway. The closure is in effect from Port Alberni to Whiskey Creek in both directions.

BC Hydro said they have crews on standby to deploy as needed across the region.

It’s expected they will send crews out to high volume outages first and prioritize each outage on a range of factors including infrastructure impacted and number of customers in the dark.

Outages in Nanaimo covered almost every major neighbourhood. (BC Hydro)

Wind speeds varied wildly across the region.

Nanaimo Airport reported wind speeds around 27 kilometres per hour, gusting to 44 kilometres per hour at its 6 p.m. observation.

Other stations in Nanaimo itself reported sustained wind speeds ranging from 30 to 40 kilometres per hour, with gusts roughly 10 to 20 kilometres per hour stronger.

Winds in Parksville were on average 15 kilometres per hour stronger.

Environment Canada wind warnings forecast speeds upwards of 60 kilometres per hour overnight in Nanaimo, gusting close to 100 kilometres per hour.

The storm is expected to ease Wednesday morning.

A majority of Oceanside residents were in the dark Tuesday evening, with widespread outages through Nanoose, Lantzville, Parksville and Qualicum Beach. (BC Hydro)

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