Severe storm causes B.C. outages and flight disruptions

An unusually strong overnight storm brought heavy rain and lightning to southern British Columbia, causing power outages and disrupting travel.

Environment Canada issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Metro Vancouver, Whistler, the Southern Gulf Islands and parts of Vancouver Island.

Vancouver International Airport said lightning prevented departing aircraft from leaving and arriving flights from taxiing to gates between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Passengers were stranded during that period, and the airport said flight impacts were continuing as it worked to restore its schedule.

BC Hydro’s outage map showed thousands of customers without power in the early morning after lightning and fallen trees damaged the system. Heavy rain also reached central B.C., where Environment Canada warned the Cariboo and Chilcotin regions could receive 25 to 50 millimetres.