Authorities throughout B.C.’s South Coast are urging residents to remain house on Tuesday after a uncommon, main snowfall choked just about each avenue of transportation, from grounded flights on the airport to jammed site visitors on the roads.
Heaps of blowing snow and unusually frigid temperatures swept the Decrease Mainland and Vancouver Island in a single day and thru the morning, leaving as much as 30 centimetres of contemporary powder in some elevated residential areas.
The climate led to “mass cancellations” at Vancouver Worldwide Airport (YVR), with no planes coming or going in any respect Tuesday morning in the course of the airport’s busiest week of the 12 months.
A number of planes filled with passengers have been left sitting on the tarmac for hours on finish, unable to return to the gate to let travellers deplane.
“It is as a lot of a psychological problem as it’s a bodily problem so far as fatigue,” mentioned Jeff Bryant, a passenger who spent practically 12 hours caught on his Toronto-bound WestJet flight earlier than getting off simply earlier than 8 a.m. PT Tuesday.
“I give lots of people a variety of credit score for difficult the internal turmoil they’re feeling.”
Travellers are requested Tuesday to verify their flight standing earlier than leaving house and keep away from the airport until completely mandatory.
As for journey by sea, a spokesperson mentioned B.C. Ferries has cancelled sailings on all three of its main routes between Vancouver Island and the Decrease Mainland as a result of climate.
Heavy snow lined elements of southern Vancouver Island in roughly 25 centimetres, whereas Metro Vancouver is dealing with as a lot as 15 centimetres.
“This snowfall is sort of important for the Decrease Mainland, in an space that doesn’t sometimes does not obtain heavy snow,” mentioned Surroundings Canada meteorologist Jonathan Bau, including Vancouver Island was the “hardest hit.”
“The quantity of snow that we have seen is towards the uncommon aspect of the dimensions.”
Police in Abbotsford, B.C., east of Vancouver, reported whiteout situations alongside Freeway 1 by means of the Fraser Valley early Tuesday morning.
Surroundings Canada has climate warnings in impact for just about all of B.C., forecasting both blowing snow, excessive chilly or Arctic outflow situations.
- Do you could have images or video of the snow to share? E mail bcphotos@cbc.ca.
The company mentioned a further 5-10 centimetres remains to be to return for many areas earlier than snow is predicted to ease later Tuesday. Even after the snow stops, Bau mentioned, extreme chilly will stick round.
“We do wish to advise that after the system strikes by means of, the Arctic [air] will actually settle in over the area,” he mentioned, referring to the South Coast.
“So we’re forecasting close to, if not at, record-breaking lows for tonight and Wednesday evening.”
The College of British Columbia, Simon Fraser College and the College of the Fraser Valley have all cancelled in-person exams on Tuesday.
Preliminary totals as of 6 a.m. PT present unusually heavy snow fell in a single day into Tuesday in a variety of locations:
- Malahat Freeway: 32 centimetres
- Victoria Worldwide Airport: 30 cm
- Nanaimo: 30 cm
- Pitt Meadows: 25 cm
- Vancouver Worldwide Airport: 24 cm
- White Rock: 23 cm
- Abbotsford Worldwide Airport: 17 cm
- West Vancouver: 14 cm
The province mentioned drivers within the Decrease Mainland “are suggested to remain off the street until their automobile is correctly outfitted with winter tires.”
For these with winter tires who should drive, a press release Monday mentioned drivers ought to pack an emergency equipment of their automobiles.
Elsewhere round B.C., the continued deep freeze produced a number of every day minimal temperature data Monday, together with a low of –46.8 C west of Williams Lake, whereas the Quesnel space broke a report set 78 years in the past when it reached a low of –37.5 C.
Northern B.C. is roofed in excessive chilly or Arctic outflow warnings, with frigid situations anticipated to proceed this week.
WATCH | Suggestions and methods for driving within the snow:
CBC Vancouver host Lien Yeung takes a driving lesson at Mount Seymour with Driving Limitless Academy teacher Patrick Ah-Yu, who reveals her methods to get a automotive winter-ready and gives tips about driving in snowy situations.
