Winds of up to 110 kilometres an hour are expected to hit parts of Vancouver Island Friday night, prompting Environment Canada to issue a wind warning.
A strong Pacific frontal system will hit north, west and east Vancouver Island by early Friday evening.
That will bring winds of 90 kilometres to northern Vancouver island with gusts expected to reach speeds of 110 kilometres an hour.
On the east coast from Courtenay to Campbell River, southeast winds of 70 km/h and gusts of up to 90 km/h are expected.
The west coast will be hit with winds of 80 km/h gusting up to 100 km/h, with slightly stronger speeds on the northwest coast, according to Environment Canada.
A wind warning was added later in the day for Greater Victoria. The region could see winds of 70 km/h gusting up to 90 km/h along exposed coastal sections, Environment Canada said.
Meteorologist Matt MacDonald said the storm is tracking quite a bit further north than the Dec. 20 windstorm that caused widespread damage on B.C.'s coast.
"I'd say the biggest area of concern is the very northern tip of Vancouver Island," he said. "There's going to be some very strong southwesterly winds and those tend to be more damaging."
Places like Port Alice, Port McNeil and Port Hardy will be see wind speeds ramp up, peaking around midnight and lasting until sunrise.
MacDonald said there was "good potential" for trees being downed onto power lines on the North Island.
"The good news is that it's not coinciding with high tide," he said, so storm surges won't as big of a concern.
The agency is warning people to take precautions so loose objects don't get tossed around, causing injury or damage.
The warnings come nearly a month after a major windstorm devastated B.C.'s South Coast, cutting power to more than 750,000 BC Hydro customers and causing the most damage in the company's history.
