Snow, arctic winds prompt warnings for most of British Columbia

VANCOUVER, B.C. -

Vancouver International Airport was crowded Tuesday with stranded travellers, many sitting or sleeping on floors, as heavy snowfall played havoc on transportation in the region during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

The snowfall was part of weather warnings that covered most of British Columbia as severely low temperatures and arctic winds gripped the province, forcing what the airport authority called an “unprecedented” suspension of flights, just days before Christmas.

The impacts were also felt on roads and at sea, while extreme cold warnings extended across Alberta, Saskatchewan, parts of Manitoba and Yukon.

Surrey resident Mary Guzman said she and her family boarded a flight to the Philippines at 9 p.m. Monday, hoping to enjoy Christmas with relatives there.

But after spending the night on the tarmac aboard the grounded plane, they were told the flight had been cancelled.

“The night was not easy, especially (because) we have a four-year-old daughter and an 88-year-old senior,” said Guzman, pointing to her toddler and mother.

“We didn't sleep at all on the plane. But that's the thing, we understand it's for our safety. So I continue to pray that we can leave tonight.”

Environment Canada said downtown Vancouver received 30 centimetres of snow by 3 p.m., with 27 centimetres recorded at the airport. Victoria recorded 35 centimetres.

The snow and cold made for difficult driving conditions across southern B.C.

The Ministry of Transportation urged residents against non-essential travel. For those who must drive, the Insurance Corp. of B.C. recommended packing emergency kits including jumper cables, warm clothes and shovels.

Social media posts showed vehicles spinning out or stuck on the sides of roads, and some cyclists venturing out on two wheels.

The snow prevented counterflow on the Alex Fraser Bridge and George Massey Tunnel, two major Metro Vancouver bottlenecks, and drivers were urged to use alternative routes. The Coquihalla highway was temporarily closed southbound due to multiple vehicle incidents that began clearing just after noon.

The Vancouver airport temporarily suspended all incoming and outgoing flights early Tuesday, holding departing aircraft at their gates and stranding passengers aboard some arriving flights for hours, as those planes had no place to go.

A small number of flights were able to depart by the afternoon.

A statement from YVR said it was dealing with the “mass cancellations,” working to “deplane passengers safely and deliver luggage to them in the terminal.”

Staff worked to provide food and water to those stuck in the terminal buildings, while also helping co-ordinate ground transportation for those leaving the property, it said.

“Passengers who are expecting to fly today and this week are advised to check with their airline directly on the status of their flight. We are asking people to please not come to YVR if you do not absolutely need to,” airport spokeswoman Megan Sutton said in an email.

“We recognize the effect these cancellations have on our community. We sincerely apologize to all of those impacted.”

Air Canada told passengers with cancelled flights to rebook online, while its website shows no available seats from Vancouver to Toronto - one of the most popular routes - until Friday.

Toronto resident Adam Abbi said he had been at the airport since Monday afternoon, after his flight home was delayed then cancelled.

He said he got through a long and sleepless night thanks to “espresso, two shots.”

“I am still trying to hold on, but I am about to deteriorate at any second,” Abbi said.

Kelowna International Airport was also suffering, with most flights delayed or cancelled.

Southern Vancouver Island, where snow is a rarity, grappled with the volume. The snowstorm shut down public services in Greater Victoria and severely restricted flights at Victoria International Airport.

Bus service in the capital was suspended early Tuesday and had yet to resume in the afternoon, but officials were making plans to begin a gradual return to service on some major routes, said BC Transit spokeswoman Tessa Humphries.

“All service is currently suspended in the Victoria Regional Transit system,” she said in an interview. “We are closely monitoring the conditions and our team is working very hard to resume service.”

Public transit was suspended in Duncan and the Cowichan Valley, while it was operational with some delays in Nanaimo and the Comox Valley, she said.

At Victoria International Airport, some flights were landing and departing but there were numerous cancellations and delays earlier in the day, airport spokesman Rod Hunchak said.

“We've had over two dozen cancellations and around 18 delays,” he said, adding the airport typically handles about 70 flights daily.

Airport crews worked overnight to keep the runways, roads and other airport areas clear, but the weather was challenging, Hunchak said.

However, things could change for the better, he said. And with some flight landing and departing, the operational impacts weren't as severe as Vancouver had seen.

“Things are as good as can be expected considering the amount of snowfall that occurred,” said Hunchak.

BC Ferries cancelled all morning sailings between the Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and southern Gulf Islands because of poor visibility and difficulty reaching ferry terminals, while police in Abbotsford, east of Vancouver, reported whiteout conditions along Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley.

The universities of B.C. and Victoria, as well as Simon Fraser University and the B.C. Institute of Technology, cancelled all in-person exams with updates expected Wednesday morning.

Around B.C., the ongoing deep freeze produced 15 preliminary daily minimum temperature records Tuesday, including a low of -43.1 C at Dease Lake, and -42.4 C at Fort Nelson. Preliminary records were also set at Abbotsford, where temperatures fell to -12.1 C, and Whistler, with -19.1 C.

Further east, 20 weather stations in Alberta broke temperature records Monday morning, and a further 10 on Tuesday. The Calgary airport also reported delays and cancellations caused by the cold.

A statement from BC Hydro said heating demands caused by the cold weather had resulted in a new record for peak hourly electricity demand on Monday night.

Consumption between 5 p.m. and 6.p.m. surpassed 10,800 megawatts, breaking the previous record set on Dec. 27, 2021.

The electricity supplier's website showed more than 30 outages across the province Tuesday morning, mostly clustered on the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island. About half had been resolved by 5 p.m., the website showed.

The heavy snowfall also stranded Premier David Eby at home in Vancouver.

He said his eight-year-old son's holiday camp was cancelled for the day and his three-year-old daughter's child care was closed due to the snowfall.

“We're all together here at home,” said Eby. “Both parents working remotely as in a flashback to pandemic days and whenever we get a window we're going to fire those kids out into the snow, and in the meantime Netflix is our friend.”

With files from Nono Shen and Dirk Meissner in Victoria

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2022.