The third Pacific storm in a week pounded B.C.'s coast and the northwestern U.S., packing near-hurricane-force winds of more than 100 kilometres an hour that left hundreds of thousands of people without power.

The winds toppled trees, blocked roads and knocked out power to thousands of people on B.C.'s south coast, and about 1.5 million homes and businesses in Washington state and Oregon.

"On Monday there were three storms lined up like jumbo jets on the airport tarmac. You had one coming in right after another," David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada, told CTV News on Friday.

"The one today was a powerful bomb that actually hit Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. What I think is unusual is that these storms all hit the same area, and had an enormous amount of impact."

At one point, more than 240,000 BC Hydro customers were without electricity. That number has now lowered to 134,000, although some people could be waiting for days before their power is restored.

At the peak of the storm blast before daybreak, winds of 157 km/h were recorded in Victoria, where the largest number of trees were toppled, bringing power lines down with them.

Vancouver airport weather station recorded wind blasts of 95 km/h and in West Vancouver's Point Atkinson winds hit almost 120 km/h.

The havoc meant cancelled ferry sailings, disrupted transit and school closures.

B.C. Hydro spokesperson Elisha Moreno said Friday that hundreds of repair crews began conducting full assessments of the damage.

"First thing we're looking at right now is circuits to hospitals, care homes, pumping stations, sewage and water treatment plants and then we would focus on the larger circuits so we can get the smaller pockets and homes back on," Moreno said.

In North Vancouver, one of the hardest hit areas, residents were asked to stay out of all parks and trails because of danger from downed trees.

Even Vancouver's famed Stanley Park was closed for the weekend, and resembled more of a logging site on Friday as workers disposed of damaged trees.

"We anticipated damage, certainly from what the weather man was calling for in terms of wind speed," said Eric Meagher of the Vancouver Park Board.

"We didn't anticipate damage of this nature, though. This is huge."

Safety advisory

Residents are being warned to stay back at least 10 meters or 33 feet from the downed power lines, and to secure any objects in their yards that might be carried off by the wind.

Moreno advised people to have an emergency kit handy to deal with being without power for 72 hours.

"I'm talking food, water, flashlight, batteries, blankets, any additional medications that they might need, a cellphone or a non-cordless phone and a battery-operated radio,'' she said.

People should also have a backup plan to stay with family or friends if they don't think they can cope without power for a few days.

Pacific Northwest

The same storm has already rocked the Pacific Northwest, with heavy rain and wind gusts reaching near 160 km/h. It's also been blamed for at least four deaths.

Two people in Washington were killed by a falling tree. A third man was killed when he crashed into a tree after swerving to avoid another tree.

A 41-year-old Seattle woman died Thursday after she became trapped in her basement while it flooded. Neighbours had called for help after they heard screaming.

One of the concourses at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was without electricity, and an airport spokesman said some flights likely would be cancelled.

Colder temperatures were expected Friday as the storm passed and winds calmed, bringing heavy snow to lower elevations.

Eamon says it's not unusual to have multiple storms back to back, although to have two very strong, intense storms one after the other is "very unusual." A storm that swept through B.C.'s south coast on Monday brought winds of up to 150 km/h towards Denman Island.

With a report by CTV's Todd Battis in Vancouver and files from The Canadian Press