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Thousands without power on Gulf Islands as wind kicks up

The outages came as temperatures were forecast to dip below zero.
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People make their way down to Cattle Point to enjoy the water and sun on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. ADRIAN LAM, TIMES COLONIST

Thousands remained without power Sunday after a cold front and gusty winds hit Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

As of 10 p.m. Saturday, about 6,300 B.C. Hydro customers were without power, primarily on Mayne and Pender Islands and in Central and North Saanich. Outages were also reported in Saanich, Sooke, Oak Bay and Victoria.

In most cases, the cause of the outages is downed wires and trees down across power lines.

B.C. Hydro said Pender, Mayne, and Saturna Island were likely to be out of power overnight, and that crews would arrive Sunday morning on the first available ferries from Swartz Bay.

By 9 a.m. Sunday, about 4,500 were still without power.

The outages come as temperatures were forecast to dip below zero, with arctic air bringing a shift in temperature. However; Environment Canada has lifted the special weather statement that had been in place all of Vancouver Island.