Ferries cancelled, thousands without power, high avalanche risk as winter storm blasts B.C.

Wind gusts of up to 100 km/h, surging waves and large amounts of snow have triggered road closures, ferry cancellations, power outages and avalanche warnings throughout B.C.

In the southwest, wind warnings are in place for west Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria and the Southern Gulf Islands. 

Environment Canada has also issued a special weather statement for higher than usual ocean levels for shorelines along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, including Sooke and Victoria, with similar conditions expected near Boundary Bay in Metro Vancouver. 

Meanwhile, a winter storm warning is in place for the Coquihalla Highway and Highway 3 in the B.C. Interior with up to 30 centimetres of snow expected by Wednesday, and snowfall warnings of up to 10 centimetres are in place for the Cariboo, Prince George, Yellowhead and Stuart-Nechako regions.

Commuters are urged to check local travel conditions and considering delaying any unnecessary trips.

Crashing waves close Vancouver Island roads

Ocean levels exceeding the highest astronomical tide are expected and could cause some coastal flooding, Environment Canada said Tuesday morning.

"In the wake of some fairly wintry weather that we had around the South Coast yesterday, we're left with a low that's going to be crossing the Strait of Georgia this morning and moving inland this afternoon, and with that we are going to see some winds associated, picking up quite strong," said meteorologist Ross MacDonald.

WATCH | Waves surge in Victoria and Oak Bay, B.C.:

Massive waves surge onto Victoria roads

11 months ago

Duration 1:00

Some streets in Victoria have been closed and people are being asked to avoid coastal areas as strong winds bring high tides.

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority closed the Ogden Point Breakwater's walking paths due to high waves causing dangerous conditions.

The City of Colwood and District of Oak Bay also closed pedestrian trails and roads due to the weather conditions.

Power outages were affecting more than 6,000 B.C. Hydro customers on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands as of 2 p.m. PT. More than 16,000 in the area were without power earlier in the day. 

Three schools in the Sooke School District were closed Tuesday due to the outages.

More than 2,000 additional customers in the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast remain affected Tuesday afternoon, most of them in the Fraser Valley.

B.C. Ferries cancelled the 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. PT sailings both ways between Tsawwassen on the mainland and Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island due to expected high winds and waves in the Salish Sea.

The 7:45 a.m. sailing from Duke Point in Nanaimo to Tsawwassen, and the return sailing at 10:15 a.m., were also cancelled.

Heavy snow, avalanche warning

Inland, snowfall that began on Monday is making travel difficult on roads and highways.

Snowfall and winter storm warnings are still in place for much of the Interior, with 20-30 centimetres of snow expected for the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt on Tuesday.

Snow is also piling up on Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton and on Highway 1 between Eagle Pass and Rogers Pass. Heavy snow is also expected in the Cariboo, Okanagan, Shuswap, North and West Columbia, and the Prince George area, according to Environment Canada.

Meanwhile, Avalanche Canada is warning that "very dangerous avalanche conditions" exist at higher elevations in several areas across southwestern B.C., as well as the southeast Rocky Mountains.

"Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended," it said on its website for areas including backcountry sites around Whistler and the Fraser Valley.