Fraser Valley residents warned to avoid icy, snowy roads
A frozen hell is all that remains of last weekend’s white Christmas in the eastern Fraser Valley, where icy rain and wet snow are expected to continue until Saturday afternoon.
Crews have been working roundthe-clock since Thursday when freezing rain first coated power lines, tree branches and snowbanks in ice, leading to power outages and treacherous driving conditions from Abbotsford to Hope.
“It’s ugly — there’s no better way to put it — it’s ugly out here,” said Abbotsford police Sgt. Judy Bird .
She advised drivers to stay off the roads and homeowners to check on elderly or disabled neighbours to ensure their safety.
On Friday morning, Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope, all in the path of a “strengthening storm” to the west of Washington state. Up to 20 mm of freezing rain was expected during the day in Abbotsford, with 15 to 20 cm of snow expected by Saturday morning in Chilliwack.
The freezing rain warning was expanded to Surrey and Langley on Friday afternoon.
“Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots will become icy, slippery and extremely hazardous,” said Environment Canada. “Poor weather conditions are likely to contribute to long-lasting transportation delays.”
The wicked weather made travel through the Fraser Valley difficult on Friday as broken tree branches blocked roads and power lines sagged under the weight of ice. Bird said emergency crews had more than 100 calls about downed utility lines on Thursday. About 18,000 homes and businesses in the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast were without power Friday afternoon, B.C. Hydro reported.
A statement from the City of Chilliwack advised people to stay home and avoid travel “unless absolutely necessary.” City works crews have been maintaining main roads day and night since Tuesday. For people living on the streets, the weather has posed incredible challenges, said Jesse Wegenast with The 5 and 2 Ministries in Abbotsford.
Extreme weather shelters have been opened, essentially doubling the beds available, but they are only open overnight.
“The rest of the day is very difficult. You get soaked to the bone in a few minutes,” said Wegenast, who recently provided new clothes to a friend who was outside during the storm.
The pastor was also aware of several people sleeping in cars and RVs.
“As the cold weather wears on and fatigue sets in, we start to see more people coming into the shelters, but there’s always some people who remain outside,” he said.
Travel outside the region was also difficult, with a snowfall warning in effect for the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt. About 20 cm of snow was expected Friday night, prompting the Ministry of Environment to ask drivers to consider delaying travel on Highway 5 until Saturday when the storm was expected to abate.
A snowfall warning was also issued for the Sea to Sky Highway from the upper levels of West Vancouver to Squamish, Whistler and Howe Sound, with as much as 15 cm of snow expected between Squamish and Whistler.
Vancouver was even in line to see a little of the white stuff. Rain mixed with snow was in the forecast for Friday evening, with a 60 per cent chance of wet flurries on Saturday morning.
The ice and snow was expected to stop by Saturday afternoon, with a little sun in the forecast Sunday.
But with New Year’s celebrations approaching, Bird advised people to check the weather forecast and “know what you’re driving into.”