Snowfall warnings for most areas of the South Coast have come and gone, but blustery, frigid weather remains in the forecast.
Wind warnings remain in place for Metro Vancouver’s southeast and the western parts of the Fraser Valley, while an arctic outflow warning is in place for the eastern Fraser Valley.
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As of 10 p.m., more than 18,000 people in the Lower Mainland were without power, with outages reported in Port Coquitlam, Abbotsford, Langley and Surrey.
Snow squall warnings remained in place for eastern Vancouver Island from Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay, from Nanaimo to Duncan for and the Southern gulf Islands.
“Cold arctic air streaming over the relatively warm Strait of Georgia has created an intense band of snow,” said Environment Canada.
“Up to 10 cm of localized accumulation and near white-out conditions are possible. Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common.”
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Elsewhere on the island, the snow piled up throughout the day. Duncan, Sooke and the Malahat saw about 10 centimetres of snow accumulate, while Nanaimo got about eight centimetres, and victoria got a light dusting of two to four centimetres.
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Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley saw a few flurries Friday, but strong winds have developed as the more serious problem.
Environment Canada has issued a wind warning for the eastern parts of Metro Vancouver along with the Fraser Valley, Greater Victoria, Howe Sound and Whistler areas.
“For the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast, we could see anywhere from zero to five centimetres. That’s not a major snow event. We will see it through the day, on and off, depending on your location,” meteorologist Kristi Gordon said Thursday.
BC Ferries cancelled two sailings between Tsawwassen and Duke Point in Nanaimo due to high winds.
Winds are expected to reach about 83 km/h in Abbotsford by around 7 p.m. Friday.
There is chance of flurries later Friday and into Saturday morning.
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Meanwhile, Washington State has declared a state of emergency due to the storm.
The Puget Sound area is expected to see between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow through Saturday. The heaviest snowfall is expected to fall between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday.
—With files from Simon Little
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