February snowfall records broken in several areas of B.C.

SURREY, B.C. -

Environment Canada says several areas in British Columbia broke daily snowfall records this past weekend.

The Abbotsford area saw 19.3 centimetres of snowfall Sunday, shattering the previous Feb. 26 record of 6.6 cm set back in 1956, according to preliminary data from the weather agency. Other records were set in Kamloops and Williams Lake, which recorded 11 and 11.2 cm of snowfall, respectively.

Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan said other areas may have broken records over the weekend as well.

“Ucluelet (saw) up to 32 centimeters, so probably a February record there,” Castellan said.

Total amounts varied around the Lower Mainland with more than 30 cm in Burnaby, the Tri-Cities and Surrey

Parts of the North Shore saw far more than that, with one resident in Lynn Valley reporting 43 cm in their backyard.

“It's interesting because it is so late in February, where the sun angle is so much higher … we typically don't see these kinds of cold outbreaks matched with a vigorous storm,” said Castellan.

“The storms usually are waning by this time in the year, and so is the cold. So this is definitely an anomaly that it produced,” he told CTV News.

The sudden dump of snow caused poor driving conditions, mass power outages and hundreds of flight cancellations on B.C.’s South Coast over the weekend.

Most of Metro Vancouver’s main routes have now been plowed, but some side streets remained slick on Monday.

Fortunately there were no reports of damage from ice bombs on the Port Man or Alex Fraser bridges.

“The Ministry of Transportation’s snow and ice technicians have been mobilized at the Port Mann and Alex Fraser bridges since the snow began on Saturday and remain on standby with the possibility of wet snow in the forecast. Cable collars will be released to clear any accumulations,” wrote the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in a statement.

However, the weight of the wet snow did cause trees to topple, leading to more than 80,000 power outages during the peak of the storm.

Most of those were restored by mid-afternoon Sunday.

Much of the Lower Mainland is thawing, but because temperatures are dropping overnight many spots are turning to ice.

More snow is expected over the next few days, so officials say now is the time to chip away at any remaining layers and lay down salt.

Castellan said another storm coming Wednesday “could be fairly vigorous as well.”

The forecast could mean more trouble at Vancouver International Airport, which saw more than 200 weekend flights cancelled due to snowy conditions. Officials assured travellers that normal operations had resumed by Monday morning, but said passengers should check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

“Noting that winter weather remains in the forecast for B.C. and other parts of Canada this week, we are continuing to closely monitor the situation and are working with airlines and other agencies to ensure passengers and planes get on their way safely,” a spokesperson said in an email.

“Our equipment and crews will remain ready to respond as needed, as they have throughout the winter season.”

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ben Miljure