Cars and buses struggle to navigate icy roads as latest snowstorm hits Metro Vancouver

VANCOUVER -

Many drivers faced a chaotic Tuesday morning commute as Metro Vancouver grappled with the region's latest snowstorm.

Buses struggled to navigate icy and slushy roads in some areas, particularly at higher elevations, prompting TransLink to temporarily suspend service on a number of busy routes.

TransLink spokesperson Shruti Prakash Joshi told CTV News the transit provider was doing everything possible to stay ahead of changing weather conditions.

"We have all hands on deck," Joshi said. "We have called in extra staff and are doing our best to make sure that our commuters have safe travel."

Other vehicles big and small faced challenges on the roads as well. Images posted to social media showed a plowing truck trapped in a ditch in Vancouver.

The snow began accumulating around 4 a.m. Tuesday, prompting weather warnings from Environment and Climate Change Canada for Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, parts of Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands.

“An area of low pressure will continue to move across the South Coast today. Further snowfall amounts of 5 to 10 cm can be expected before the snow eases this afternoon,” the weather agency wrote.

“Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow."

All of the warnings were lifted by around noon as the snowfall eased – though more winter weather is in the forecast for Wednesday.

The latest storm also caused power outages, forced school closures and led to cancelled flights and ferry sailings.

Upwards of 50 flights were cancelled at Vancouver International Airport on Tuesday, and many others were delayed. In an online statement, officials said there was "more snow accumulating than originally forecast," forcing adjustments to flight schedules.

"Our crews are fully staffed keeping runways and taxiways clear, however because of low visibility, the heavy rate of snowfall, and with safety top of mind, both arrivals and departures are extremely limited at this time," the statement said. 

“Campus buildings remain open on all campuses, but the libraries and Lorne Davies Sports Complex will be closed and all in-person classes, exams, university services and campus activities are cancelled until 10 a.m. Online classes are not impacted and will proceed as scheduled,” wrote the university.

A number of BC Ferries sailings between Tsawwassen and the Sunshine Coast were also cancelled due to weather-related staffing shortages. Transport Canada regulations have specific staffing requirements for ferry vessels, to ensure adequate crew are available in the event of an emergency.

All of the affected departures were scheduled from 6:20 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. on the Salish Eagle.

"Our customer service centre will contact customers with bookings on these cancelled sailings to let them know if we have space available to fit them on an alternate sailing later in the day, or if their booking must be cancelled," BC Ferries wrote in a statement.

The snowfall also forced the closure of all public schools on the North Shore, as well as a number of private schools across the region.

Simon Fraser University cancelled all classes at its Burnaby campus, but those at the Vancouver and Surrey campuses continued as scheduled, as did online courses. The University of British Columbia did not cancel any classes Tuesday, but advised students to "wear sensible footwear."

There were more crashes, power outages and flight cancellations when the last snowstorm hit over the weekend, and B.C. broke a number of daily snowfall records.

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.