BC Hydro says this summer’s dry weather and wildfires could lead to more power outages this storm season.
The warning for customers to be prepared for weather-related outages caused by weakened trees and drought comes after a near record-breaking dry season, BC Hydro said in a news release Friday (Oct. 27). The wildfires and drought damaged soil, roots, trees and vegetation in many parts of the province.
BC Hydro spokesperson Susie Rieder said long, dry stretches during the summer put local vegetation under stress.
“Trees weakened by drought and associated disease can be more susceptible to wind, and many of these trees still have leaves late in the season making them increasingly susceptible to wind and adding weight from rain or snow. As storm season ramps up, a substantial number of dead and damaged trees and branches are expected to fall, contributing to power outages.”
This year’s drought led to BC Hydro having to replace more than 1,400 power poles and nearly 90 kilometres of power lines to restore power to more than 20,000 customers that were impacted across the province since May.
Crews are now ramping up for the storm season – with the first major one earlier this week in the province’s south coast – as BC Hydro says its meteorologists are warning that there is an increased risk of outages with windstorms this fall.
READ MORE: Fall storm leaves 2,000 Peninsula, Highlands, Langford homes without power
Trees and adverse weather “are the single biggest cause for power outages” in the province, BC Hydro says, with more than half of all power outages being cause by trees and bad weather.
BC Hydro adds its generation system, which is predominantly hydroelectric, is directly impacted by variations in weather.
“Although BC Hydro’s smaller plants on the South Coast have recovered, its larger facilities in the north and southeast of the province are still at lower-than-normal reservoir water levels for this time of year.”
READ MORE: Drought conditions in B.C. a ‘sleeping giant of a natural disaster’
