Unrelenting winter storm brings heavy snow, high winds, drenching rain to B.C.

VICTORIA -- Weather woes just keep piling up in several regions of British Columbia as a powerful storm batters much of the province.

Winter storm, snowfall, wind and rain warnings remain in effect for northeastern and north-central B.C., most coastal areas, much of Vancouver Island and a section of eastern B.C. that includes Highway 1 from Revelstoke to Golden.

Forecasters are calling for anywhere from 15 to 30 centimetres of snow across inland sections of the central coast and over much of the northern half of the province.

Conditions, especially in the northeast, are not expected to ease until Saturday.

The weather office is calling for gusts of 70 km/h across Metro Vancouver, the inner south coast, Greater Victoria, and much of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

BC Ferries cancelled several sailings early Friday due to high winds and BC Hydro says it is bracing for outages across the south coast while crews continue to restore power to several thousand southern Interior customers left in the dark after a New Year's Eve snowstorm.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2020.