Environment Canada predicts some areas of B.C.'s South Coast will be hit with between 10 to 20 centimetres of snow as an intense Pacific storm hits the region Thursday night.
The agency issued a snowfall warning for Metro Vancouver, Victoria, East and Inland Vancouver Island, and Southern Gulf Islands, saying significant snowfalls are expected as cold arctic air is entrenched over the region.
Snow will start over Vancouver Island late Thursday evening and further east overnight into Friday, according to the weather warning.
In low-lying coastal areas the snow is expected to become mixed with rain come Friday afternoon, but at higher elevations it's expected to remain as snow through Friday night.
Low-lying regions could see snowfall accumulations of five to 15 cm by Saturday morning, and a whopping 25 cm over higher terrain.
"There's no significant warming in sight, this cold air is here to stay for quite some time – any snow that does fall will be here for quite a while," said Meteorologist Matt MacDonald.
The Fraser Valley could experience reduced visibility because of strong easterly winds combined with blowing snow.
The rapidly accumulating snow could make travel difficult, and highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may be difficult to navigate, it warned.
Arctic outflow warning
An arctic outflow warning is in effect for Whistler, Howe Sound and the eastern Fraser Valley, where it's expected a strengthening arctic ridge of high pressure over the B.C. Interior will cause temperatures to plummet.
The gusting winds and low temperatures will combine in those regions to cause wind chill values to drop to minus 20 degrees and persist overnight, according to forecasters.
The agency is urging drivers to take caution and prepare for high winds, especially in coastal areas exposed to outflows.
People should dress warmly or risk frostbite and hypothermia, it warned.
The City of Abbotsford urged residents to help support friends, neighbours and relatives with limited mobility stay warm and snow is cleared from their properties.
A memo issued by the city encourages residents to have flashlights, blankets, a portable radio and spare batteries on hand in case of a power outage, and should avoid parking under trees or hydro lines if possible.
Preparations underway
A total of 41 trucks equipped with plows are salting and brining roads across Vancouver in preparation of the second wave of snow.
Ken Brown, manager of streets operations, says the trucks have five main priorities: Bus routes, bridge decks, arterial road ways, emergency routes and the 15 most heavily-used bike lanes.
"We have been salting and brining throughout this week. We've been getting in extra salt deliveries all week long as well," Brown said.
The city has gone through 2,000 tonnes of salt this week so far, he added.
With predictions the front will be worse than what was experienced earlier this week, the city is urging Vancouverites to plan ahead if they're planning on heading out, including having snow tires on vehicles, checking traffic reports and dressing appropriately.
All Vancouver property owners are responsible for clearing snow from the sidewalks by 10 a.m. the day of a snow event. But homeowners may have a hard time getting their hands on shovels and salt. CTV News called several stores on Wednesday to find that they were either sold out or running out of the products.
The snow and sludge on the roads and bridges earlier this week led to a spike in claims-related calls to the Insurance Bureau of B.C.
ICBC said its Dial-a-Claim service answered 4,366 calls Monday, a 13 per cent increase compared to the first Monday in December last year.
About 78 per cent of the calls came from the Lower Mainland, while 11 per cent came from Vancouver Island, according to Sam Corea.
Compounding the problem was the fact many drivers still have summer tires on their vehicles, said Brown.
"It was a bit of a cascade effect where people were getting stuck and then it was tough for the rest of the traffic to get around," he told reporters at a briefing at the city works yard.
Concern about more 'ice bombs' on bridges
Another complication for commuters are the "ice bombs" that fell on the Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridges Monday, cracking car windshields and denting roofs, but B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation says crews have been working for days to prevent a repeat.
"We're redoubling our efforts to make sure that doesn’t happen again tonight or tomorrow," Minister Todd Stone said at a news conference.
Stone said anti-icing solution has been applied to the Alex Fraser's crossbeams and workers will be monitoring the situation over the course of the day.
If snow starts to accumulate, however, drivers have been warned that crews might have to temporarily close some of the lanes – if not the entire bridge.
On the Port Mann, which saw far fewer incidents of ice and slush damage, workers will be deploying snow-clearing collars on the bridge cables earlier and more frequently than they were earlier in the week, Stone added.
The cables were installed after the ice bomb debacle of December 2012, which saw around 350 vehicles damaged on the toll bridge.
About 80 insurance claims have been filed so far relating to "ice bombs" on the Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridges this week.
Transit preparedness
TransLink says it has been preparing for the next wave of snow for several days, but is already experiencing weather-related issues.
On Wednesday morning's commute, one West Coast Express train was delayed more than half an hour because of frozen switches.
Many buses experienced delays or operated on limited service earlier this week because of poor road conditions, stranding riders.
This time around three de-icing trucks will treat all overhead trolley wires overnight to ensure buses can still run, according to TransLink. It says the icing trucks can treat all 300 kilometres of trolley wires in six hours.
On some routes, the larger articulated buses will be replaced with 40-foot conventional buses, because the smaller vehicles are "more nimble" in snowy conditions.
The agency urges transit riders to check their routes before heading out for the day.
On Monday, SkyTrains were temporarily stuck system-wide because of snow on the tracks that triggered alarms and the train's braking systems.
To prepare for the incoming snow, anti-icing trains spraying the power rail will be run on SkyTrain tracks to stop ice or snow building, and staff will be on platforms turning off intrusion alarms in select locations.
If there is "excessive snowfall," SkyTrains will be run through the night to keep the rails free of debris.
HandyDART will run on essential services only, such as renal or cancer appointments, but TransLink says customers already taken out will "have service to get them home."
Two staff will be sent to each HandyDART to ensure customers get safely to their door, and to assist in digging out the bus if it gets stuck.
Help for the homeless
The City of Vancouver has opened up 190 extra shelter spaces in six temporary shelters to accommodate those sleeping outside.
Its Winter Response Shelter Strategy is triggered when temperatures dip below zero degrees.
The Union Gospel Mission in the Downtown Eastside has been distributing essentials like socks and coats to those who prefer to sleep outside, but they've made up extra beds and are warning the homeless about the dangers.
"We just want to see people safe. We don't want people hurting themselves by starting a propane fire, for example," said Derek Weiss of UGM.
Electricity use has spiked 12 per cent across the province as it struggles with the arctic chill, says BC Hydro.
