A storm called a “bomb cyclone” and packing hurricane-force winds is expected to lash the B.C. coast today, toppling trees, knocking out power and disrupting travel plans.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement saying the storm will develop about 400 kilometres off the west coast of Vancouver Island, bringing high winds and heavy rain to coastal areas in the afternoon.
The severe weather is expected to continue into Wednesday evening.
Dubbed a bomb cyclone by the Weather Network, the storm bringing strong southeasterly winds is known in meteorological terms as bombogenesis, a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure at the centre of a storm system as it circulates northward.
If the pressure at the eye of the storm drops quickly enough — about 24 millibars over the course of 24 hours — it’s called a bomb cyclone.
The bomb cyclone will remain offshore, but the B.C. coast — and particularly Vancouver Island — will get walloped with strong wind gusts.
Matt MacDonald, lead forecaster for the B.C. Wildfire Service, said in a social-media post that models show B.C. coastal inlets could see “hurricane force” winds of more than 118 km/h and there may be waves of up to nine metres off Washington and Oregon’s coasts.
Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor agreed those kinds of winds and waves on B.C.’s coast are a possibility.
“That would be fairly typical for this kind of track,” Proctor said. “Where they are actually going to be is going to be dependent upon where the track of the low-pressure centre is and how close to Vancouver Island it comes in before it starts hooking northwards.”
Tofino Mayor Dan Law said the community is bracing for the storm, with residents readying generators, cleaning their downspouts and making sure that everything is “tied down” as winds are expected to reach 110 km/h.
He said senior staff are also prepared to close beaches for public safety. “The marine forecast is calling for 40- to 50-foot waves and that kind of storm surge is dangerous with floating logs and debris.”
Law said this storm looks different from what his community usually sees. “The nature of this one is a concern because of the trees,” he said. “Trees grow strong to the prevailing winds. This storm has winds coming from a different direction, so trees could come down.”
Hurricane-force wind, gale and storm warnings have also been issued for marine areas around Vancouver Island. Waterspout watches are in effect, according to the forecast.
Waterspouts are whirling columns of air and mist over water associated with thunderstorms and can be accompanied by high winds, hail and lightning.
B.C. Ferries said it’s closely watching conditions and is in contact with Environment Canada, but hasn’t yet cancelled any sailings.
It’s advising travellers to check service notices at bcferries.com prior to travel for service disruptions.
Black Ball Ferry Line, which operates the Coho between Victoria’s Inner Harbour and Port Angeles, announced it’s changing Tuesday’s schedule due to predicted high winds on the Juan de Fuca Strait.
The Coho will leave Port Angeles at 8:20 a.m. and 1 p.m. today, an hour earlier than scheduled, and leave Victoria at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., instead of 4 p.m.
“As of now, all other sailings will operate as scheduled,” Black Ball Ferry Line said on its Facebook page. “We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.”
Environment Canada said southeasterly winds will increase through the afternoon today, with peak wind speeds expected for most areas tonight. Strong winds are likely to continue on Wednesday morning, but should ease later in the day.
The federal agency said east-to-west inland valleys can expect very strong winds. Some areas can also expect heavy rain at times, but winds will remain the primary concern.
B.C. Hydro spokesman Ted Olynyk said the utility is ready for outages and prepares year-round for storms through vegetation management and upgrades to the distribution system, including automatic circuit “reclosers,” which detect and interrupt momentary electrical faults caused by branches touching wires.
Olynyk said most outages can be resolved by a reclose operation.
Depending on conditions created by the storm, Olynyk said crews may be sent home during the day and brought back to work into the evening.
Victoria International Airport said it did not expect any flight cancellations or delays and any decisions based on weather conditions are usually made by the airlines and air-traffic control. A spokesman said the airport authority does regular patrols for debris blown onto runways during storms.
A La Niña winter is expected for B.C. this year, and Proctor said the creation of bomb cyclones is amplified when ocean temperatures are cooler than normal.
He said the province should brace for similar storms, though not of the same magnitude.
“We’re really setting up for a fairly typical late fall, if I can put it that way, once we get past this big event of this bomb cyclone,” he said.
The Weather Network said heavy alpine snow will develop as the system approaches, and ski resorts are in line for “copious amounts of snow” as freezing levels fall below 1,000 metres on Tuesday. Some areas could see close to 100 centimetres of snow, the network said.
That’s good news for Mount Washington Alpine Resort near Courtenay, which already has up to 40 cm of snow, and is just a few weeks from its Dec. 13 official opening.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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