42,000 customers in Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley without power

Tens of thousands of B.C. Hydro customers are without power across the South Coast of British Columbia this evening. Strong winds have caused power outages for 42,000 customers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

A wind warning was declared by Environment Canada this evening: potent southerly winds of 70 km/hr, with gusts of up to 90 km/hr, are affecting the southern areas of Metro Vancouver.

Major outages have been reported in Surrey, Langley, White Rock, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquiltlam, Burnaby Mountain, and Abbotsford.

Late this evening, debris from a construction site fell onto SkyTrain’s elevated tracks in Surrey, prompting a single-track shuttle service from Scott Road to King George stations due to the hazardous conditions.

And shortly, at approximately 10:10 p.m., a tree fell onto the tracks between Nanaimo and 29th Avenue stations in Vancouver. As a result, both Expo and Millennium line services are affected until further notice: trains are not running between Commercial-Broadway and Joyce-Collingwood stations in Vancouver.

Additionally, most remaining B.C. Ferries services this evening have been canceled due to the high winds, including the Tsawwassen to Duke Point and Swartz Bay services from 9 p.m. onwards.

Some rainfall and wind can also be expected Monday, before the largest storm of the Pineapple Express storm parade arrives on Tuesday, bringing heavy rainfall and severe winds.