B.C. bomb cyclone: Vancouver Island highways closed [Video]

Officials advised drivers not to travel on Vancouver Island highways Wednesday morning after a bomb cyclone weather event toppled trees and powerlines across roadways.

“Please avoid all highway travel and use extreme caution. Stay clear of any downed power lines,” a notice from DriveBC posted Tuesday night reads, which cautioned people to avoid driving into Wednesday morning.

Wind gusts exceeded 100 km/h in many parts of the island Tuesday night and the windy conditions are forecast to continue.

A roughly 40-kilometre stretch of Highway 4 between Coombs and Port Alberni closed just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, and re-opened to single-lane, alternating traffic around noon Wednesday.

The Port Alberni RCMP, in a social media post, said the closure was due to “unsafe conditions” and that the detachment had already been dispatched to “multiple” crashes due to the treacherous mix of fierce gusts and downed trees.

Before the highway was closed, the …