Conditions improving after snow and windstorm hammers B.C.'s South Coast

VANCOUVER -

A fierce storm blanketed Vancouver Island and much of British Columbia's south coast with 10 to 25 centimetres of snow, causing traffic gridlock, power outages and airport delays.

Environment Canada lifted snowfall warnings Wednesday for Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver before dawn, but was predicting up to 10 centimetres more over the Fraser Valley and along the Sea-to-Sky corridor between Squamish and Whistler.

Snowfall warnings for parts of southeastern B.C. remained where another 15 centimetres was forecast, and wind or arctic outflow conditions were also posted for the north and central coasts.

Rising temperatures around Metro Vancouver aided snowmelt, helping crews clear the many buses, trucks and cars stranded overnight by the icy conditions.

BC Hydro says as many as 80,000 customers lost electricity at the height of the storm, which included powerful winds over parts of southern Vancouver Island, and some customers were still in the dark Wednesday.

Officials at Vancouver International Airport say the EVA Air jet that skidded off a taxiway after landing late Tuesday, had been removed within hours, allowing the north runway to reopen.

No one was injured and passengers were taken off the plane and shuttled to the terminal on buses after being stuck on board for about three hours.

Power outages and treacherous roads also forced numerous school districts to cancel classes on northern and central Vancouver Island and in the Fraser Valley.

Environment Canada data shows temperatures across the south coast were expected to rise above freezing through the day before dipping below zero again by Wednesday night.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2022.