The heavy snow overnight in some parts of Metro Vancouver caused early-morning havoc on the roads Friday, especially in Surrey and east towards the Fraser Valley.
A number of cars spun out on Highway 1 near the Port Mann Bridge, including a limo at 3 a.m. The driver was frustrated.
“This snow started earlier today and the plows just came by but it’s a little too late,” the limo driver said early Friday. “And I just got back from Whistler and Whistler all the way down to the Upper Levels, it was awesome. The Lower Mainland here is crazy.”
WATCH: Neetu Garcha reports on the chaos drivers had to deal with during the morning commute
Several callers to AM730 Traffic reported reported so-called “snow bombs” falling from the cables of the Port Mann Bridge.
Drivers have also reported snarled traffic on the bridge and at least one collision.
The Ministry of Transportation said it had dropped its anti-ice cable collars once during the peak of rush hour and that the cables were 100 per cent clear.
“The ministry’s snow and ice technicians were on the bridge as of 5 a.m. monitoring due to the forecast that predicted less than 1 centimetre of snow for the early morning,” said a spokesperson in an email.
“However an unexpected strong pulse of snow dropped five-seven centimetres within 20 minutes in the height of rush hour. ”
Global News Meteorologist Mark Madryga blames a cold, upper-level, low-pressure system sitting right over the South Coast.
WATCH: ‘Snow bombs’ on Port Mann bridge causes traffic delays
“What we had through the night are bands of snow that have been moving in from the southeast and rolling through parts of Metro Vancouver, especially in a north-south line through Coquitlam and the Surrey area and more out around Langley as well,” Madryga said Friday.
“Now, these areas of wet snow will continue to be a problem for several hours, but by mid-morning should fizzle a lot more, with drier air for sure later on through the day Friday.”
It’s been an ugly 24 hours with pockets of snowfall reported across Metro Vancouver throughout the day Thursday, catching thousands by surprise and causing problems for transit buses and drivers.
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