A winter storm on B.C.’s south coast forced the temporary closure of busy portions of two major routes out of the Lower Mainland Sunday evening.
The Ministry of Transportation is advising drivers to avoid all unnecessary travel.
According to DriveBC, parts of both Highway 1 and the Coquihalla Highway were closed Sunday evening amid heavy snowfall.
Highway 1 was closed between Chilliwack and Hope due to “extreme winter conditions.”
It has since re-opened, but remains closed Lytton and Kanaka Bar due to a crash.
The Coquihalla was closed between Hope and Merritt due to vehicle incidents, but as of about 12:30 a.m., the northbound lanes were re-opened to traffic. Southbound lanes remain closed.
DriveBC also reported extreme winter conditions and traffic incidents on all major bridges in the Lower Mainland including the Lions Gate, Port Mann and Second Narrows.
The Lions Gate Bride was closed around 11 p.m. as a result of the snow. It has since been cleared and reopened to traffic, with a single lane in each direction.
TransLink also reported delays and suspensions on multiple bus routes as a result of the storm.
You can see up to date transit service notices here.
The closures come amid a snowfall warning for Metro Vancouver and an arctic outflow warning for the Fraser Valley.
Ferry passengers were left stranded Sunday as the storm forced closures of nearly all Sunday sailings on most major routes.
You can see up to date information on BC Ferries sailings and cancellations here.
Environment Canada says a heavy band of snow has developed over both regions.
The agency has warned of snowfall accumulations of up to five centimetres in the city, with winds of up to 50 km/hr in the valley and gusts of up to 80 km/hr along with wind chill values of -20 C or lower.