Bridges closed, flights suspended across Southwest B.C. as winter storm slowly transitions to rain | 24CA News

A second vital winter storm swept by means of southern B.C. on Friday, prompting cancellations, suspensions and delays throughout bus providers, ferry sailings and flights, with freezing rain inflicting havoc throughout the area.

However, warming temperatures offered forecasters with optimism that rain may wash away lots of the delays in time for Dec. 24 and 25.

“But where cold air has a harder time clearing out — namely the Fraser Valley — it may stay below freezing at ground level until Saturday morning which means the risk of freezing rain all night,” stated 24CA News meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe. 

In addition, a visitors advisory was issued by the Ministry of Transportation for Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton as a result of threat from heavy snowfall blended with freezing rain, and drivers had been additionally warned of “moderate to high avalanche risk” on Highway 1 by means of the Fraser Canyon.

B.C. Ferries cancelled the primary round-trips on a lot of routes Friday morning, together with ones connecting Metro Vancouver to Victoria, Nanaimo, the Sunshine Coast and the Southern Gulf Islands, with a number of cancellations all through the afternoon as effectively.   

TransLink requested clients to keep away from travelling on Friday, and was compelled to droop service on the Expo Line for hours within the afternoon.

Two main bridges linking municipalities in Metro Vancouver — the Alex Fraser Bridge and Port Mann Bridge over the Fraser River — closed early Friday, and remained so by means of rush hour. 

B.C. Transit had cancelled bus providers in Victoria Friday morning, however slowly started reopening some routes within the afternoon. 

All transit providers within the Fraser Valley — a area about an hour’s drive east of Vancouver — have been suspended till “further notice,” in accordance with the B.C. Transit web site.

Freezing rain may final 36 hours

Predictions by Environment Canada of heavy snow, ice pellets and freezing rain in Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley beginning Thursday evening by means of Christmas Eve proved correct, with round 10 centimetres of snow for a lot of the area on Thursday night and Friday morning, adopted by freezing rain.

B.C. Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall stated the snow meant the ferry operator could not guarantee sufficient staff had been out there to workers a number of morning journeys throughout a wide range of routes, which needed to be cancelled. 

“When we look at the roadways, not only our customers having difficulties accessing the terminals, so do our staff,” she stated.

“We’re really pleased the weather is starting to lift and we can get our service up and going again.”

However, the state of affairs was much less optimistic for transit providers in Metro Vancouver, the place ice buildup on SkyTrain traces triggered the suspension of service on the Expo Line for a number of hours within the afternoon, vital delays on the Millennium Line, and closure of the Canada Line between Bridgeport and Richmond-Brighouse stations for a time. 

“We’re setting up bus bridges wherever we can,” stated TransLink spokesperson Thor Diakow.

The Expo Line was reopened between Waterfront and Scott Road Station by 4 p.m., whereas Braid and Sapperton stations had been reopened after 9 p.m. The Millennium Line continued to expertise heavy delays into the night with no service between Lougheed and Burquitlam stations because of ice buildup within the guideway.

“We’re just basically asking for patience from people as we work to restore service,” stated Diakow.

“It’s been a week of inclement weather, and the freezing rain is not ideal to the SkyTrain situation.”

Travel advisories posted for highways

The transition from snow to rain may have a major impression on highway and sidewalk situations, whereas ice buildup may result in tree branches breaking, Environment Canada predicted.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming stated journey by highway on Vancouver Island, the South Coast, or to and from the Interior needs to be prevented “unless absolutely necessary.”

WATCH | Minister advises against most travel: 

‘Travel only if necessary’: B.C. emergency management minister

Bowinn Ma advises drivers in the Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island to stay off the roads as heavy snow followed by freezing rain will cause dangerous conditions.

Most major highways in B.C. had travel advisories or closures on Friday, with drivers told to expect rapidly deteriorating conditions.

Wagstaffe said localized flooding could be a concern as temperatures warm from Friday to Saturday.

“We ought to all be within the clear by Christmas Day,” she said, “even when it is a soggy one!”

Dozens of flight cancellations

Vancouver International Airport was at a virtual standstill Friday with very few flights operating and hundreds cancelled throughout the day.

WestJet cancelled all flights arriving and departing from the Vancouver airport from 11:50 p.m. PT Thursday until Friday evening at 5:50 p.m., dependent on weather conditions.

In addition, the airline cancelled flights at airports in Victoria, Nanaimo, Abbotsford and Comox, it said in an emailed statement on Thursday. Air Canada also cancelled dozens of flights at the Vancouver airport Friday.