If there were ever a better reason to throw your hands in the air and just stay home, this would be it.
Heavy rain hit B.C.’s South Coast Thursday morning, likely to be followed by icy, slippery roads and localized flooding. That comes after a Wednesday afternoon snowstorm that turned to freezing rain in some areas.
An Environment Canada storm warning issued Wednesday evening said 20 to 30 millimetres of rain was expected on top of newly fallen snow.
Some areas of the Fraser Valley have been hit by as much as 70 centimetres of snow this week. By Thursday, snowfall totals were expected to be as high as 60 centimetres from Squamish to Whistler, while the Fraser Canyon and Coquihalla Summit was predicted to receive as much as 50 centimetres.
“I want to make a quick plea to all British Columbians, particularly in the Lower Mainland,” Transportation Minister Todd Stone told reporters in Kamloops on Wednesday. “We do expect a very significant weather event to take place, resulting in a tremendous dump of snow.”
Predictions were for as much as 90 centimetres of snow to fall between Hope and Vancouver.
“I would hope that folks in the Lower Mainland would take this opportunity to perhaps consider alternative forms of transportation or work at home for the next day or so and let this system pass,” Stone said.
He advised drivers to make sure their vehicles were equipped with snow tires to a minimum tread depth of 3.5 millimetres.
“Have the right tires, have a plan, let people know where you’re going and only drive on roads in the next couple of days, particularly in the Lower Mainland, only if you have to,” Stone said.
Last Friday’s call volumes for the insurance Corporation of B.C. were double the usual number, he said. “This is because we’ve been dealt such a severe winter, particularly in the Lower Mainland.”
A travel advisory was issued Thursday morning to avoid travelling on Highway 1 from Hope to Langley because of freezing rain. Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton is closed because of avalanche hazard, as is Highway 1 from Yale to Jackass Mountain.
Classes cancelled
Some schools remained closed across the region as staff struggle to deal with the weather.
Chilliwack School District announced it has closed all its schools, including daycare centres.
Abbotsford school district is closed but “employees designated as winter services personnel are expected to report to work.”
Mission reported all its schools are closed because of sheet ice.
Surrey said all schools are closed because of unsafe conditions.
Langley schools are closed, including all daycares within the district.
Sunshine Coast school district has shut its schools because of slippery conditions.
The Powell River school district has closed its schools because of severe weather.
The following school districts are closed on the Island: Campbell River, Comox Valley.
The University of the Fraser Valley announced all morning and afternoon classes were cancelled but evening activities would be decided later.
The latest storm comes from an intense Pacific warm front spreading warm moist air over the cold arctic air at the surface. Blowing snow was expected to reduce visibility to near-zero in some areas.
From Squamish to Whistler, snowfalls were expected to be as high as 60 centimetres overnight and into Thursday.
The Fraser Canyon and Coquihalla Summit could possibly see as much as 50 centimetres.
In Vancouver, city crews were bracing for snow late Wednesday followed by warming temperatures and rain later in the week.
Crews were ready to salt and plow arterial routes as needed. The city warned that snow on side streets and sidewalks could turn to ice Wednesday night.
As temperatures warmed, crews were to shift focus to salt and sand side streets most heavily impacted by compacted snow.
A city statement said a full snow-clearing fleet has been working 24/7 since Feb. 1.
TransLink crews will continue to de-ice the rails and SkyTrain attendants will be position on the trains to manually operate them in case snow on the tracks triggers the system’s motion sensor alarms and stops a train.
As well, TransLink is also deploying push trucks on the streets to assist buses and trolleys that are stuck or having difficulty on steep routes.
Something that doesn’t come up often in the Lower Mainland, is the threat posed by too much snow on roofs.
The National Research Council advises residents concerned about snow loads on roofs to look and listen for signs of stress.
“These signs can include unusual sounds from the roof or supporting walls, visible movement of walls or sagging of ceiling and cracking of drywall or plaster,” the council says on its website. Other signs may include doors that jam or water leaks that show up after a big snow fall.
Roofs with a low slope or roofs covered with rough roofing material tend to accumulate more snow than steeper pitches or slippery roof finishes.
The council advises homeowners to seek out a qualified snow removal contractor, and not to clear the snow themselves.
‘Whistler was built for this stuff'
While the snow is a hassle for commuters, the big storm is just another day for Whistler.
“For our roads department and snow clearing staff, being prepared for storms and heavy snowfall is part of their normal operations,” said a statement from the municipality. Eighteen full-time winter staff are equipped with four large Western Star trucks, two smaller 1.5 tonne trucks, three front-end loaders, a backhoe and a grader.
Well, maybe not just another day.
“People are always excited because obviously there will be so much powder on the mountain said snowboarder Ela Jedrasiak, a front desk clerk at the Blackcomb Lodge. “We haven’t had big storms in the last two years.”
Occupancy rates for the coming long weekend are averaging around 89 per cent, said Tourism Whistler’s Patricia Westerholm. “At this time of the season, most of our guests are from our destination markets with a mix of visitors from the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia and many other destinations.”
Westerholm said sun is in the forescast for Saturday and Sunday.
“In terms of the snowstorm, the good news is that Whistler was built for this stuff,” she said.
Down the road in Squamish, Canadian Tire manager Catherine Chernoff said they sold some snow tires this week and have plenty more.
“You would be surprised at the number of people who leave it to the very last moment,” Chernoff said, adding some drivers passing through en route to Whistler come in for chains or snow tires after being turned back at police road checks.
