Update: Some won’t get power back until weekend; 120,000 in B.C. impacted by outages

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Due to the extent of damage in some areas, customers in the hardest hits areas should prepare to be without power overnight. This includes customers in Chase, Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Dawson Creek and 100 Mile House,” said the release.

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At the peak, about 50,000 customers in the Thompson/Okanagan.Shuswap/Okanagan were without service, with that number now down to about 13,000, mostly in the Shuswap.

There are still a few pockets of Vernon and Spallumcheen without power.

Hydro says, province-wide, 120,500 of its customers have be impacted by outages today.

“The high winds caused branches and trees to break and come into contact with BC Hydro’s electrical equipment. The hardest hit areas are the Southern Interior, Lower Mainland, and northern Vancouver Island. A snow storm in the Peace region also caused damage and resulted in outages to customers in Dawson Creek, Chetwynd and Smithers.”

Click here for updates on the outages.

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Update 3:50 p.m.

It’s been a busy day for BC Hydro crews who have been scrambling to deal with over 100 wind-related power outages.

At the peak, about 50,000 customers were without power in the region from the Shuswap to the Okanagan and Kootenays, with that number is now down to about 16,000, with most of those still without service in the Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Kamloops areas with 83 outages listed.

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Update 2 p.m.

BC Hydro crews have been making progress on a multitude of power outages caused by a windstorm in the region today.

At the peak of the outages, about 50,000 customers were without power from the Shuswap/Thompson through the Okanagan/Kootenay areas.

That number is now down to about 40,000 customers, with many areas of Vernon and Coldstream getting power back in the last hour.

Traffic lights in Vernon were also impacted, causing traffic chaos, but we’re told those lights are now back in operation.

Update: 1:10 p.m.

BC Hydro says the number of impacted customer in Okanagan/Kootenay is down to 9,434.

Update: 12:50 p.m.

BC Hydro is reporting about 14 outages around the North Okanagan, with 12,000 customers in the region without power.

That includes parts of Vernon, Coldstream, Armstrong, Enderby and Spallumcheen.

That’s in addition to multiple outages in the Shuswap Thompson region which is impacting about 38,000 customers.

“A strong windstorm this morning has caused extensive outages in the southern Interior, including Kamloops, Salmon Arm, 100 Mile House, and Chase. Crews will be responding as quickly as possible to get power back for affected customers. Individual restoration times will be provided once crews are able to assess the damage and repairs required. If you see a fallen power line, stay back at least 10 metres and call 911 to report,” said a statement on BC Hydro’s website.

Due to the strong winds, some traffic signal lights around Vernon have been impacted.

Motorists are reminded that if intersection lights are flashing, the intersection must be treated as a four-way stop, as per the Motor Vehicle Act of British Columbia.

If an intersection’s lights are black, it must also be treated as a four-way stop.

The city says crews are working to restore proper operation of various intersections around Vernon.

Update 12 p.m.

Hydro crews are scrambling as over 9,000 customers are without power in Greater Vernon, along with the Spallumcheen, Armstrong and Enderby areas.

The power went out for 2,691 customers in parts of Vernon and Coldstream at 11:42 a.m.

More than 34,000 customers are in the dark in the Shuswap/Thompson region, including Salmon Arm.

BC Hydro says there is no estimated time of restoring service as they are assigning crews to deal with multiple outages.

The agency says a strong windstorm has caused extensive outages in the southern Interior, and they add crews will be responding as quickly as possible to get power back for affected customers.

Click here for updates.

11:30 a.m.

Over six-thousand customers are without power in the Spallumcheen, Armstrong and Enderby areas.

BC Hydro says the cause is under investigation, with the outage starting at around 11:10 this morning.

There is no estimated time of restoring service as Hydro is assigning a crew to deal with the situation.

Hydro is reporting close to 30,000 customers without power in the Shuswap/Thompson area including Salmon Arm.

Hydro says a strong windstorm this morning has caused extensive outages in the southern Interior.

“Crews will be responding as quickly as possible to get power back for affected customers,” said the utility’s website.

“Individual restoration times will be provided once crews are able to assess the damage and repairs required. If you see a fallen power line, stay back at least 10 metres and call 911 to report.”