Power restored to 99 per cent of customers after weekend storms

BC Hydro says about 6,000 customers remain without power after storms across British Columbia left nearly 415,000 homes and businesses in the dark at their peak.

10 November 2026, 4:10 p.m. · 3 min read

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BC Hydro says power has been restored to about 99 per cent of the customers knocked out by storms that swept British Columbia from Friday through Sunday. At the peak of the outages, nearly 415,000 customers were without electricity. As of Monday, roughly 6,000 customers still had no power, and most of the remaining outages are in the Central Interior region.

The heaviest damage was reported east and north of Prince George. BC Hydro crews have identified roughly 200 spans of downed wire, along with numerous broken poles and damaged equipment. Crews are replacing poles and crossarms and restringing wire. Their work is slowed in places by fallen trees and debris blocking access to damaged lines, and by soft ground that limits the use of heavy equipment.

The utility says the hardest-hit rural areas may remain without power for several days. The earliest expected restoration for those communities is late Tuesday evening. Extra crews, contractors and equipment are still working in the region, and resources are being moved in from other parts of the province to speed repairs. Crews are working through a period of heavy demand on the system, and the utility's priority has been to bring power back to the largest number of customers first before turning to the most remote rural lines.

The outages were spread across a wide part of the province. Among the communities hit hardest were Surrey, Duncan, Port Hardy, Prince George and Courtenay. The affected areas ranged from the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island to the North and the Interior, meaning that crews were dispatched to very different kinds of terrain, from urban neighbourhoods to remote forest roads.

The restoration effort comes with further uncertainty. More storms are forecast for the province in the coming days, and BC Hydro is monitoring those forecasts. The utility has not said how much those systems could affect its repair work or the timeline for the remaining customers. Residents in affected areas are being urged to stay prepared for further interruptions as crews continue to work, and to keep clear of downed lines, which remain dangerous until crews confirm they are de-energized.

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