Snow and freezing rain battered some B.C. highways as an winter storm descended upon the province Sunday.

Environment Canada issued winter storm and snowfall warning for parts of B.C. including Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, warning that  wet snow and rain would fall on the region through Monday.

A number of vehicles could be seen in ditches along Highway One as motorists tried to navigate the treacherous terrain.

"It's been a very challenging day for our comms centre as well as our patrol officers who have been going from collision to collision," said Const. Ian MacDonald with Abbotsford Police. "We want to remind people that you've got to know yourself and your own driving ability, you have to know your vehicle, and you absolutely have to take into consideration road conditions."

Meanwhile in Surrey, a man had to be airlifted to hospital with possible life-threatening injuries after his car skidded off the road and struck a tree, according to police.

Snow also brought traffic along the Sea-to-Sky Highway to a crawl, and was expected to change to rain near West Vancouver Sunday afternoon and freezing rain near Squamish in the evening.

Drivers are being encouraged to use caution as snow accumulates on highways.

Meanwhile, not much of the white stuff was seen in most of Metro Vancouver, but Environment Canada forecasted more than 50 millimetres of rain for the region overnight, with the potential of freezing rain, possibly creating more headaches for Monday morning commuters.

The agency also warned that as much as 35 centimetres of snow was expected to fall in parts of the Okanagan, while the Ministry of Transportation said a stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway west of Revelstoke would close early Monday for avalanche control.

For the latest information on B.C.'s weather warnings, visit Environment Canada's website.

With files from The Canadian Press.