A significant fall storm, that is being referred to as 'Bomb Cyclone', is set to impact Vancouver Island beginning Tuesday afternoon, to later in the day on Wednesday. 
An area of low pressure will deepen rapidly 400 km west of Vancouver Island on Tuesday, before curling northwards on Wednesday.
Southeasterly winds will increase through the afternoon on Tuesday, with peak wind speeds expected for most areas on Tuesday night. Strong winds are likely to continue on Wednesday morning but should ease later in the day.
East-to-west inland valleys can expect very strong winds as well. Some areas can also expect heavy rain at times during this event, but winds will remain the primary concern.
Timeframe:
- Tuesday, November 19 through to Wednesday, November 20
Affected Regions:
- All areas.
Potential impacts for Island Health:
- Strong winds may down trees or cause tree limbs to break.
- Be prepared for power outages.
- Travel delays will be possible.
- Secure loose outdoor objects.
- Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage.
- Difficult travel conditions
- Temporary staffing issues due to road closures.
- Encourage staff to be aware of and prepared for bad weather travel, refer to DriveBC.
- Potential Power Outages & Flooding Issues
- Encourage staff to become familiar with the emergency plan for your area/unit, to know their roles and what to do.
- Potential for increased numbers of traumatic injuries presenting to hospitals due to falling debris
- Potential for vulnerable populations to seek shelter in health facilities
- Refer to open Extreme Weather Response Shelters where appropriate
Recommendations:
Personal preparedness
- Encourage staff/volunteers to adopt personal preparedness related to Storms and Winter Weather and to monitor warnings and weather forecasts
Monitor weather forecasts and warnings closely for updates e.g.
- BC Forecast at weather.gc.ca / BC Warnings at weather.gc.ca
- EMBC Emergency Alerts
- River Forecast Centre
- www.drivebc.ca
For emergency operational concerns, please follow your established contingency plans as well as contacting HEMBC On-Call for assistance on 1.250.370.8575.
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