'Mixed bag' of weather woes expected to hit B.C.

Environment Canada is warning British Columbians to expect a "mixed bag" of weather conditions this weekend, as snow, rain and heavy winds are all in the forecast.

In addition to the five to 15 cm of snow expected to fall over much of the province on Friday, strong winds of up to 90 km/h are also anticipated over the central coast.

The snow will eventually turn to rain later Friday evening as a warm front approaches the province.

Environment Canada projects 50 millimetresof rain will hit the Fraser Valley on Friday, while snow is expected to persist over Howe Sound before changing to rain Saturday morning.

Inland sections of Vancouver Island are expecting freezing rain on Friday night, eventually turning to rain overnight as temperatures rise.

The continued snowfall will be particularly treacherous at higher elevations, especially the central and southern interior highway passes.

Environment Canada is warning commuters traveling on the Coquihalla highway, between Hope and Kamloops, to be aware, as blowing snow can create whiteout conditions.

Other problem spots include the Okanagan Connector from Merritt to Kelowna, Highway 3 from Paulson Summit to the Kootenay Pass, the Trans Canada Highway from Eagle Pass to Rogers Pass and Highway 97 from Clinton to 100 Mile House and Pine Pass.

Air traffic eases but delays persist

Air traffic, on the other hand, has eased slightly, as Vancouver airport reported Friday that runways were fully operational.

Air Canada, however, has continued to cancel flights, as roughly two-dozen short and medium haul routes were cancelled.

Despite improving flying conditions, widespread delays were being experienced by air travellers on all routes.

SkyTrainalso delayed

Boxing Day shopperstrying to get around Metro Vancouver on public transit fared no better.

A switch problem originating at the Columbia SkyTrain Station caused delays for commuters gettingaround the Expo Line.

Later glitches also caused sporadic service outages andcaused huge crowds to accumulate at busy stations such as Metrotown.

Power outages have also persisted, as roughly 5,000 customers went without power on Friday afternoon.

The continued power outages have prompted both the B.C. Coroners Service and the Fire Commissioner to warn desperate, powerless homeowners not to use barbecues or gas-powered generators to heat their homes.

They say two people have already died this year due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

New flooding fears

As snow changes to rain for most of the province on Saturday, there is afear of flooding.

City crews were out in Vancouver Friday morning clearing storm drains before they were re-deployed to salt and plow snow-covered roads.

It is expected that with rain in the forecast, crews will once again be focusing their energies on drain-clearing come Saturday morning.