Heavy snow blankets B.C.’s South Coast causing havoc on roads, transit and ferries

Snow blanketed B.C.’s South Coast once again and caused havoc on the roads, for transit users and at Vancouver’s airport.

Major accumulations have been piling up across the region all night.

As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, 32 centimetres of snow has fallen on the Malahat on Vancouver Island, 30 cm at Victoria’s airport, 30 cm in Nanaimo, 25 cm in Pitt Meadows, 24 cm at Vancouver’s airport and 23 cm in White Rock.

2:05 B.C. Ferries forced to cancel sailings, long waits for commuters in Metro Vancouver

BC Ferries was forced to cancel most sailings as the snow was making the approaches to terminals unpassable.

All sailings from Nanaimo South were cancelled until at least mid-morning Tuesday after staff determined that the roads are just not safe enough for staff and customers to get to the terminals.

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Around 10:15 a.m., BC Ferries said the weather had improved a little and the Coastal Renaissance and Coastal Inspiration resumed service from Tsawwassen to Duke Point.

3:42 Frigid temperatures sweep across B.C. as the province prepares for another blast of winter

Most post-secondary school campuses in the Metro Vancouver area are closed because of the snow.

UBC’s campus was closed Tuesday morning and all exams scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to noon were cancelled.

However, UBC says Wednesday exams will be going ahead as scheduled.

Meanwhile, BCIT and KPU were also closed Tuesday due to the weather.

At SFU, all exams have been cancelled until 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, with more updates to come.

2:09 Metro Vancouver digs out after heavy snowfall hits B.C.’s South Coast

There are also major TransLink service disruptions due to the heavy snow.

Many commuters were delayed at the Lafarge Lake-Douglas Station when the gates didn’t open on time. TransLink said staff could not get there in time to open them.

In addition, TransLink said all SkyTrains are running Tuesday but will likely be delayed and slower.

Many buses are also not running Tuesday morning and TransLink is urging everyone to check their routes before heading out of the house.

More to come.