Update: Power was restored to the large outage area as of 1:30 p.m., according to BC Hydro.
As an atmospheric river drenches the South Coast of B.C., a downed tree across wires has knocked out power for nearly 2,400 homes in North Vancouver.
The outage started at 8:26 a.m. Wednesday morning, primarily affecting residents in the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) reserve and Dollarton neighbourhood, according to BC Hydro.
That outage has cut electricity for 2,351 homes. The utility provider said a crew is on site and power is estimated to be restored by 12:30 p.m.
Trees and adverse weather are the single biggest causes of power outages in B.C., noted BC Hydro spokesperson Kyle Donaldson. "In fact, more than half of all power outages are caused by trees and bad weather," he said.
Meanwhile, planned work turned out the lights for 66 households in Capilano Highlands before 9 a.m. A crew is onsite there and is expected to be done by 6 p.m., BC Hydro said.
Last night at around 10:21 p.m., a large outage in West Vancouver caused by a substation fault cut out power to nearly 12,000 homes spanning from Cedardale to West Bay. Power was restored at 1:30 a.m., BC Hydro said.
"The cause of the [West Vancouver] outage was an animal coming into contact with electrical equipment," Donaldson said. "As you can appreciate, we sometimes face challenges with wildlife coming into contact with our equipment, and wherever possible we try to prevent it."
Rainfall warning issued for North Shore, Sea to Sky
Early Wednesday morning, Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver and the North Shore, with 40 to 80 millimetres of precipitation forecasted for the day.
“Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible,” the advisory reads.
A separate warning was issued for the Sea to Sky, Squamish and Whistler region, with a specific warning for drivers.
“Weather in the mountains can change suddenly resulting in hazardous driving conditions,” Environment Canada advised.
This article has been updated with comment from BC Hydro.
