Thousands of residents were without power Tuesday morning after high winds battered Vancouver Island.
An Environment Canada wind warning for Greater Victoria was lifted about 9:30 a.m.
Overnight wind damage left more than 5,400 customers without power on the south Island — mostly in the Sooke, Port Renfrew and Gulf Islands areas — and about 1,300 on the north Island.
Trees falling onto power lines is typically the cause of the outages.
B.C. Hydro crews worked all day Monday to restore power.
A notice posted on the B.C. Hydro website said most customers on the Gulf Islands would have power restored Monday, but customers in Musgrave Landing on Salt Spring Island would be without power overnight. Crews were expected to arrive first thing this morning.
Thetis Island residents were also without power overnight; mechanical troubles on the Thetis ferry meant crews could not get there on Monday.
On Monday, Tofino and Ucluelet were hit with west winds up to 100 km/h, as Environment Canada warned of storm surges and “exceptionally high” waves up to 12 metres.
Officials were warning people to stay off the beaches and watch for loose beach logs.
“Stay well back from the water’s edge and be alert,” the agency said in its warning. “Higher than normal water run-up is expected on beaches and low-lying shoreline. Keep away from large logs on the beach. Water running up on the beach can easily lift or roll logs which can injure someone caught in their path.”
