The snowstorm walloping B.C.'s South Coast has grounded and delayed dozens of flights, cut power to tens of thousands of homes and caused treacherous driving conditions on some of Metro Vancouver's busiest routes.

Despite a slew of Environment Canada snowfall warnings and special weather statements covering large swaths of the province, the storm still surprised city planners Tuesday by arriving early and quickly blanketing streets with snow and slush.

TransLink buses, cars and at least one tow truck have struggled to navigate slippery hills, and a Lexus ended up plowing into the side of a house on Renfrew Street in East Vancouver after the driver was unable to stop.

An accident on Highway 1 snarled traffic in Burnaby during the morning commute, and authorities had to close the southbound lanes of the Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Hope after a number of commercial vehicles spun out.

Though the premature storm caught officials off guard, Vancouver's chief engineer Jerry Dobrovolny said the city is better equipped to deal with the snow than it was last year.

"We've been preparing for months and we have all of our crews available," Dobrovolny told reporters. "They will be deployed around the clock for as long as is necessary – and in whatever numbers are necessary – to keep the city functioning."

Vancouver also has additional equipment and roughly three times as much salt and brine as it did last winter, when some roads remained icy and dangerous for days on end.

There was commuter chaos for people driving to and from the North Shore as well. During rush hour, traffic backed up from the Stanley Park Causeway onto the Lions Gate Bridge, where vehicles were moving forward inch by inch on the slippery bridge deck.

There were some frustrated travellers at Vancouver International Airport too after the heavy snow forced the cancellation of at least a dozen flights and delayed more than 30 others.

Staff at YVR said crews worked hard all day to de-ice aircraft, but there was nothing they could do to facilitate all the scheduled departures. During any serious weather event, passengers are advised to check the status of their flight online before going to the airport.

"Remember that inclement weather around the province or country could affect your flight," YVR said in a statement on its website.

Some of the cancelled departures' destinations include Victoria, Kamloops and Prince George. Two flights to tropical Maui and sunny Palm Springs were delayed by at least two hours.

But passengers on one Mexico-bound Air Canada Rouge flight had it much worse. The Boeing 767 was speeding down the runway when the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. Video of the incident shows what appear to be flames shooting from a blown tire and licking the underside of the plane.

The passengers were grounded for at least five hours as crews inspected the aircraft. 

Even some of the people who stayed at home were impacted by the storm, which cut power to more than 75,000 BC Hydro customers on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Lower Mainland, with B.C.'s capitol city among the hardest hit areas.

Heavy, wet snow caused trees and branches to break and fall, sending them crashing down onto power poles and transformers. BC Hydro said between the extensive damage and challenging weather conditions, repair crews have their work cut out for them.

"All available resources will continue to work through the night to make repairs and restore power," a spokesperson for the utility provider said in an email.

Environment Canada said the sudden dump of snow was brought on by a low-pressure system coming in off the Pacific Ocean, which combined moisture gathered over the water with cool, easterly winds near ground level.

The agency's warnings, some of which were cancelled by the end of the day, spanned from Vancouver Island all the way to near the Alberta border. Drivers have been cautioned to avoid areas with slippery roads, and to stay inside if possible.

"Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions," Environment Canada said in a statement.

The City of Vancouver also reminded property owners of their responsibility to clear snow and ice from their sidewalks by 10 a.m. the morning after a snowfall. Failure to do so, even on weekends, can result in steep fines.

The city has also made available an interactive map of priority routes for snow and ice removal.

With files from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander