Ice bombs, ferry cancellations tangle traffic as snowfall, high winds hit South Coast

Commuters across B.C.'s South Coastshould brace for a potentially challenging day on the roads as snowfall piles up, particularlyin higher areas, while wind has incapacitatedparts of thethe ferry system.

Environment Canada is warning those in Metro Vancouverand the Fraser Valley to expectfive to 25 centimetres of snow by noonFriday, raising potential for a messy afternoon commute.

The weather system has also brought strong winds up to 80 km/hnear the Strait of Georgia, prompting ferry cancellations between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.

ICBCreports it has received 21claims for damage caused by ice bombs on the Alex Fraser Bridge.

The Alex Fraser, which carries Highway 91 over the Fraser River in Delta, B.C., was closed for almost two hours Friday morning due to falling ice. The Ministry of Transportation said in a statement it is expected to be fully reopened for the afternoon rush hour period after a safetyassessment by ministry staff and local police.

Twenty one claims of damage have also been reported from falling ice on the Port Mann Bridge, and 2 claims for the Golden Ears bridge.

• Find Environment Canada weather warnings here

Friday morning, snowplows were busy clearing roads in areas such as Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam and SFU's Burnaby Mountain campus overnight, while the City of Vancouver has been salting and brining streets to ease conditions.

St. James Elementary andSt. John Brebeuf Secondary schools in Abbotsford were both closed on Friday due to the snow.

The Surrey School district also cancelled classes at M.B. Sanford Elementary and at Georges VanierElementary due to power outages at the schools.

First major snowfall of the season arrives in Metro Vancouver

5 years ago

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Metro Vancouverites woke up to their first major snowfall of the season on Jan. 10, 2020.

In the Okanagan, several vehicles got stuck on theWilliam Bennett Bridge connecting Kelowna and West Kelowna, and RCMP said somewho made it off the span began sliding backwards down a large hill to the west.

Snowfall warnings also cover much of northern B.C., from inland sections of the north and central coasts east to the Peace River region, as up to 20 centimetres snow is due by evening.

Along the boundary with Yukon and stretching into that territory, extreme cold warnings advise of wind chill values below 45 C, dropping to 50 C for parts of Yukon, with the deep freeze not expected to lift for several days.

Ferry cancellations

High windshampered ferry service Friday morning, while several cancellations were announced for the afternoon.

As of 11a.m. PT Friday, the following routes have been cancelled:

• 1p.m. departurefrom both Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay.
• 12:45 p.m. departurefrom both Tsawwassen and Duke Point.
• 11 a.m., 1 p.m.and 2 p.m. departures from Tsawwassen toSwartz Bay.
• 11 a.m., noonand 2 p.m. departures from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen.
• 11:50 a.m. departurefrom Powell River to Comox.
• All sailingsbetween Tsawassen and the Gulf Islands before 12:30 p.m.

In addition, the Swartz Bay-Gulf Islands, Prince Rupert-Port Hardy and Mid-Coast routes are operating on revised schedules.

• See a full list of cancellations and revised sailings here

The ferry operator is also warning there could be further cancellations over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Metro Vancouver's transit authoritysaid it has severalplans in place to keep transit in the region running smoothly.

If conditions worsen, TransLinksaidit will replace articulated buses with 40-foot conventional buses as needed because they are more agile on steep, slippery areas which has already been done on Burnaby Mountain.

• Find TransLink transit alerts here

Warming centres open

City of Vancouver warming centres will be open from Sunday to Wednesday. Anyone is welcome, as are their belongings and pets. Hot drinks and snacks are available, and those with their own bedding can sleep at the centres.

The Powell Street Getaway, next to Oppenheimer Park, is already open and will remain open until Wednesday.

Other centre locations include:

Sunday to Tuesday:

Britannia Community Centre (9 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.)
Vancouver Aquatic Centre (10 p.m. to6 a.m.)
Overdose Prevention Society (11 p.m. to8 a.m.)

Wednesday:

Britannia Community Centre (9 p.m. to8:30 a.m.)
Overdose Prevention Society (11 p.m. to8 a.m.)

The city said warming centres have been visited 2,597 times over 22 nights of operation since winter began.

Residents reminded to clear sidewalks

City of Vancouver bylaws state property owners and occupants must clear snow and ice from sidewalks around their property by 10 a.m. the morning after a snowfall, seven days a week.

Those who are not able to do so themselves are asked to find someone to do it for them, or contact the city's Snow Angel Program to be paired with a volunteer.