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Storm knocks out power

Storm rolls through Okanagan causing damage
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The thunderstorm that was promised finally rolled into the Okanagan early morning.

While some had their patio furniture tossed around due to high winds, there were also incidents of trees being knocked down and Fortis reported multiple outages in Kelowna, Oliver, Beaverdell and Carmi.

Fortis said crews are responding to reports of trees on lines, including one on Gordon Avenue in Kelowna.

“Restoration times are not yet known and customers may experience longer delays in areas with more extensive storm-related damage,” said Nicole Bogdanovic, corporate communications advisor with Fortis.

A command centre was set up in Kelowna as crews, and a contractor, are working to assess damage, safely remove trees and repair damage to the system. FortisBC said repairs may require other intermittent outages so crews can safely complete the work.

BC Hydro is reporting outages in the southern Interior to more than 32,000 customers.

Crews are working to re-store power to the areas of Salmon Arm, Chase, West Kelowna, Vernon, Lumby, Cherryville, Enderby and Revelstoke.

Wind gusts of up to 61 kilometres per hour were reported in Penticton on Sunday

A risk of a thunderstorm persists throughout much of the Okanagan today.

Do you have photos of the storm, or the damage it caused? Share them by emailing newstips@pentictonwesternnews.com.