Snowed-in B.C. braces for blast of Arctic air
Sudden, blowing snowfall that pummelled much of British Columbia with a side of freezing wind on Sunday, knocking out power to thousands and wreaking havoc on city roads, isn’t expected to return in similar fashion Monday — the province will instead see its «coldest air so far this winter,» forecasters say.
An Arctic front that pushed onto the South Coast on Sunday night has prompted extreme cold and Arctic outflow warnings across virtually all of B.C.
Environment Canada warned the storm system will bring winds up to 80 km/h with wind-chill temperatures of –20 C or lower in the south, and nearing –40 C in northern areas.
«The entire province right now is below freezing temperatures,» Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon said Monday morning.
A snowfall warning is also posted for the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Sunday’s snow across the inner South Coast caused dozens of crashes, delays or closures on several highways and bridges. Drivers woke up Monday to find slushy, icy roads and a dicey commute. Some ended up in gridlock traffic.
The foul weather even grounded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who intended to travel from Vancouver to Victoria for a meeting with B.C. Premier John Horgan. The premier’s office said Monday the two leaders will speak by video conference instead.
Schools closed, power out
A number of school districts in B.C. have cancelled classes Monday due to unsafe conditions and the amount of snow on the ground.
- Chilliwack (SD33).
- Cowichan Valley (SD79).
- Fraser/Cascade (SD78).
- Kootenay Lake (SD8).
- Mission (SD75).
- West Vancouver (SD45).
Both campuses of the University of the Fraser Valley were also closed for the day.
Around 2,000 people in the Lower Mainland, Okanagan and northern half of Vancouver Island remained without power Monday morning after the storm.
Roads
Police in Delta said Monday morning a three-vehicle head-on crash forced the closure of Highway 17 at the start of the causeway leading to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. One person was seriously injured in the crash and had to be airlifted to hospital. The causeway remained closed while crash investigators piece together what happened.
BC Ferries customers should expect delays in and out of the Tsawwassen terminal. The corporation said customers with reservations, however, should be boarded on the next available sailing.
Highway 1 remained shut down eastbound in Langley due to a jack-knifed semi wedged underneath an overpass at 264 Street. One lane was closed westbound due to the same incident, leaving commuters trying to get to the city stuck in slushy bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Blowing snow warnings remained in effect for the Coquihalla Highway and parts of Highway 3. Non-essential travel is not recommended.
A number of major highways, including the Coquihalla as well as Highway 1, were forced to close Sunday night after whiteout conditions threw traffic into chaos. Some drivers who were already out when the snow began had little opportunity to get off the road before the powder piled up, leaving them to crawl well below the speed limit with hazard lights flashing.
Other drivers, ill-prepared without proper snow tires, spun out on snowy roads. At least a dozen buses in Metro Vancouver ended up on sidewalks.
«We had some pretty terrible weather last night,» Sekhon said.
He said different areas of the Lower Mainland saw between five and 20 centimetres of fresh snow Sunday night, depending on elevation. The North Shore and higher areas of Coquitlam were believed to be hardest hit, with upwards of 20 centimetres in a short time frame, the meteorologist said.
Arctic outflow happens when bitterly cold Arctic air breaks out of the B.C. Interior and spills out through mountain gaps and fjords, according to Environment Canada, sending a chill through other parts of the province. Warnings happen when a combination of wind speed and cold temperatures combine to produce wind chills of at least –20 C for at least six hours.
Dozens of skiers and snowboarders were stuck on Mount Seymour overnight after a multi-vehicle crash, reportedly involving a fire truck responding to a previous crash, shut down the only access road up and down the mountain.
Transit
In Metro Vancouver on Monday, TransLink said transit users should «build in extra travel time.»
The transit authority said SkyTrain was running normally, though long lines of passengers avoiding taking their own vehicles wound around major stations across the region, and passengers reported lengthy waits. At one point, doors on one SkyTrain were jammed due to ice buildup.
Bus routes were «looking OK,» according to a tweet from the authority, but riders were warned service could be slow due to icy roads.
Ferries
BC Ferries also cancelled a number of sailings Sunday between the mainland and Vancouver Island as gusting wind made docking too risky. Monday morning sailings filled up quickly on key routes between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay, between Tsawwassen and Duke Point, and between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay.
«It will be very busy today,» said corporation spokesperson Chelsea Carlson.
Flights
Vancouver International Airport said it was seeing «some impacts to flights» due to the winter weather. Passengers are asked to check the status of their flight and give themselves a little extra time before coming to the airport.
