Wind warning cancels BC Ferries sailings on two major routes as more storms loom

Four morning sailings between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay were cancelled Friday, along with six between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, as a wind warning took hold across parts of Metro Vancouver.

BC Ferries said the cancellations were due to high winds and wave height in the Strait of Georgia. Sailings between Tsawwassen and the Southern Gulf Islands were also off until shortly after noon. Daily Hive Vancouver reported that the company later added cancellations for departures from Tsawwassen, Duke Point and Swartz Bay between 10:15 a.m. and 2 p.m., a stretch that affects anyone trying to cross between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

BC Ferries said customers with bookings on cancelled sailings will be contacted by its Customer Service Centre about an alternate sailing or a cancellation. Fees and/or fares will be refunded when a sailing is cancelled, the company said.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued the wind warning for parts of Metro Vancouver, with gusts up to 70 km/h into the afternoon before they weaken. Its alert said local utility outages are possible and advised people to secure loose objects.

Rain is adding to the problem on the North Shore. ECCC said rainfall may reach up to 80 mm at higher elevations there and in communities near southern Howe Sound. Lower elevations and northeast communities such as Coquitlam can expect closer to 50 mm by the time the rain tapers off Friday evening. The agency said water is likely to pool in low-lying areas and on roads, and washouts are possible near rivers, creeks and culverts.

ECCC's forecast for Pitt Meadows, issued at 11 a.m. Friday, calls for rain and southeast wind of 40 km/h gusting to 60, except near the water, where wind could reach 70 gusting to 90 early in the afternoon. An hourly ECCC forecast for a point at 49.154, -123.158 shows rain and gusts of 60 km/h between 2 and 3 p.m., easing to south 30 km/h gusting to 50 from 6 p.m., with a 40 per cent chance of showers.

ECCC described the rainfall warning storm as the first in a series of wet and windy weather ahead. The Pitt Meadows forecast for Saturday calls for showers beginning in the afternoon, with southeast wind becoming 40 km/h gusting to 60 late in the day.

A separate wind warning covers parts of the Coquihalla Highway and the Okanagan Connector. In that alert, ECCC said a cold front later Friday afternoon will bring southwest winds with gusts potentially reaching 90 km/h, and that another potentially stronger storm is set to follow on Saturday evening.