A number of snowfall warnings remain in effect for several parts of B.C. Friday morning.
This includes Metro Vancouver where the flurries are falling and sticking in some areas.
Full list of school closures below
The snow has arrived on Vancouver Island, in Victoria, Nanaimo and Courtenay.
It is snowing in areas such as Aldergrove, Abbotsford, Mission, Langley, Delta, Surrey, Maple Ridge and parts of Burnaby. It appears the snow is also starting to stick in New Westminster and parts of Vancouver.
Environment Canada says a Pacific storm moved onto the South Coast overnight. The leading front has spread 2 to 4 cm snow over southern Vancouver Island and trace to 1 cm to the Lower Mainland.
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As the storm continues to develop off the coast, more precipitation is expected Friday through Saturday over the South Coast. While the snow is expected to become mixed with rain or change to rain this afternoon near sea level, for communities at higher elevations or inland, precipitation will remain in the form of snow through Saturday morning. Total snowfall accumulations of 5 to 10 centimetres are expected over low-lying coastal regions by Saturday morning with up to 25 cm over higher terrain.
WATCH: Snow is falling across the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Friday morning
School closures
Comox Valley:
- All schools in the Comox Valley (School District 71) closed today. Buses not running.
Abbotsford:
- St John Brebeuf School
- St. James & St. Ann’s Elementary School
- All three campuses of Abbotsford Christian School
- Cornerstone Christian School
Langley:
- The King’s School
- Credo Christian Elementary School
Delta
- Immaculate Conception School
Tsawwassen:
- Southpointe Academy
Burnaby
- St. Thomas More Collegiate
- John Knox Christian School
- Absorbent Minds Montessori pre-school
Surrey
- Holy Cross – Surrey
- Surrey Christian School (all campuses)
- William of Orange Christian School
- Regent Christian Academy (K-12)
- Our Lady of Good Counsel
Maple Ridge
- Maple Ridge Christian School
- James Cameron Elementary School
Chilliwack
- St. Mary’s Elementary Chilliwack
Cloverdale
- Cloverdale Christian Elementary
- Cloverdale Catholic School
- Absorbent Minds Montessori pre-school
Coquitlam
- Mediated Learning Academy
- Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School
- Traditional Learning Academy
Port Coquiltam
- Archbishop Carney High School
- Hope Lutheran Christian School
- Our Lady of the Assumption
Port Renfrew
- Port Renfrew Elementary
Cowichan Valley
- All public schools closed today. No buses running
Vancouver:
- Blessed Sacrement Elementary
- St. Anthony Padua Elementary School
- Eaton Arrowsmith School at UBC
- Vancouver College High School
- St. Jude’s Elementary School
- Saint Francis Xavier Elementary
Richmond:
- St. Joseph the Worker School
Esquimalt
- Ecole Victor Brodeur
Langford
- Lighthouse Christian Academy
Victoria
- Christ Church Cathedral School
- Sprott Shaw College Victoria Campus
Islands
- SD64 Schools on Saltspring, Galiano, Pender, Mayne, and Saturna Islands
Duncan
- Arcadian Early Learning
On Burnaby Mountain it’s snowing and all SFU campuses have been closed for the day.
Capilano College is closed at 4:30 p.m. Friday through to Saturday.
BCIT campuses are also open.
Transit
So far, no major problems on BC Ferries.
HandyDART is running essential service only today however.
Bus
The afternoon snow is impacting bus service across the region, causing many delays. Currently, the following bus routes are impacted by the snowstorm:
- 145 SFU: Service suspended. Two shuttles are operating between Production Way Station and SFU.
- 135 SFU: Service is terminating at Hastings & Duthie streets, and 3 shuttles operating between there and SFU
- 210 Upper Lynn Valley: Regular route to Mountain Hwy & Dempsey, then via Dempsey to Underwood terminus.
- 210 Vancouver: Regular route to Coleman & Hoskins, then via Hoskins, Dempsey, Mountain Hwy, regular route.
- 20 Downtown/Victoria: Regular route to Main & Hastings, then detouring via Main, Broadway before returning to Commercial, regular route. (Commercial is very slick between 1st Ave and Hastings St.)
- The 151, 152 and 169 routes are on diversion off Mariner Way in Coquitlam, using Lougheed Highway instead.
**For additional information on bus routes and possible delays, please check current conditions.
SkyTrain
Some brief delays and gaps in service due to intrusion alarms on the guideway being set off by chunks of snow and ice. SkyTrain attendants are now on Expo Line and Millennium Line trains, because intrusion alarms have been disabled. This keeps service consistent, but can mean slower speeds. Expo Line service is roughly every 3 minutes, and Millennium Line every 6.
SeaBus
Operating normally.
Flight delays and cancellations
Harbour Air seaplane flights have been cancelled for the remainder of the day.
Some flights at YVR have been cancelled this morning. Check this morning before heading out the door.
In addition, if you are flying out of Abbotsford Airport and Victoria Airport today, there are some weather-related cancellations and delays. Please give yourself extra time to get to the airport and check the status of your flight before you leave home.
Power use
BC Hydro says it saw electricity demand peak at 9,869 megawatts between 5 and 6 p.m. on Thursday. This is a new record for the year.
Electricity demand increased by 18 per cent. That’s nearly 1,500 megawatts higher than last Thursday’s peak demand of 8,393 megawatts. The record set in November 2006 of 10,113 megawatts remains in place.
Bridges
Crews have been prepping the Port Mann Bridge and Alex Fraser Bridge for today’s snowfall.
Workers in harnesses spent much of Thursday loading chain link collars on the beams in order to keep ice bombs from falling onto vehicles below. Transportation Minister Todd Stone says either bridge could be closed in a worst-case scenario – but increased monitoring has been installed and safety engineers will be on site moving forward.
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