More snow coming to Metro Vancouver this week
Love it or hate it — more snow is on the way for the B.C. South Coast.
Following the weekend’s dump, which already saw daily snow records broken in Vancouver and Abbotsford, another five to 15 centimetres of the white stuff is expected in Metro Vancouver by Monday night, and up to 20 cm in the Fraser Valley.
Public schools in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and Langley have cancelled classes Monday, as has the Fraser-Cascade school district, which includes Hope and Agassiz.
“We’re not out of this yet,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Jennifer Hay, eyeing another approaching system that could bring more snow Wednesday and Thursday.
Abbotsford was hit hard by the latest wintry wallop. About 18 cm fell in a two-hour span between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
At the airport, 20 cm of snow fell Saturday, more than double the 7.6-cm daily record from 1957. Sunday was also a record-setting day, with 18 cm falling by Sunday afternoon, already surpassing the 11.9 cm record set in 1949 and contributing to an accumulated 49 cm on the ground.
Snow buildup and threats of ice bombs falling from bridge cables forced the Transportation Ministry to shut down the Alex Fraser Bridge for two hours in both directions Sunday afternoon.
In preparation for Monday’s snowfall, TransLink said crews were out spraying SkyTrain guideways and tracks with anti-icing solution, as well as running anti-icing trucks to make sure the trolley overhead system is free of ice.
Despite the hassle snow may cause on transit and travel, it also drew families and kids outdoors for some winter fun.
Bobby Ning, wife Susan and children Dylan, 4, and Ella, 2, were out Sunday at the Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre playing in the snow from this latest storm, the ninth major storm to hit the region this winter.
“The kids love it,” said Ning, 38. “This is the first winter they have seen snow. It feels like Christmas all over.”