Snowfall warning ends in most areas after short blast of brutal winter weather

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Snowfall throughout Metro Vancouver has resulted in dangerous driving conditions, transit delays and the early closure of some schools.

A snowfall warning for the Fraser Valley remains in place, but the snow is expected to change to rain by Friday evening.

The Mission School District says due to worsening road conditions it losed its school early. Buses are picking up students and staff will remain at schools until all children are collected.

Meanwhile the snow, heavy and wet at times, resulted in TransLink suspending bus service at Simon Fraser University. The authority did arrange shuttles and 40-foot (12.2-metre) buses to Burnaby Mountain.

Its Next Bus SMS system is finally back up and running after being down for most of the morning and early afternoon.

Environment Canada forecast five to 10 centimetres to fall on the Lower Mainland Friday, including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Sunshine Coast.

Around 2 p.m. PT it ended its snowfall warning for most of Metro Vancouver as conditions improved.

The North Shore and higher elevations saw up to 15 centimetres, the weather agency said, while the eastern side of Vancouver Island got around five centimetres of snow over higher terrain and inland sections.

The snow at times was mixed with rain.

Transit issues

Vancouver police responded to several traffic problems and asked drivers to avoid Boundary Road from Marine Drive to East Hastings northbound and Boundary from East Broadway to Kingsway southbound.

The police force says several semi trucks are stalled and sliding backwards in the area. It said conditions should improve once the area is cleared of snow and salted.

Officers say a second congested area is around Clarke Drive and Grandview Highway through to 17th Avenue and Kingsway in all directions.

Around mid-morning the City of Vancouver closed Boundary Road from 49th Avenue to South East Marine Drive due to an accumulation of snow and ice.

TransLink has deployed staff to all trains and turned off the intrusion alarm system at stations due to the risk of snow triggering it.

The agency also says it won't be running its full complement of trains Friday, but will run the majority of them. Many of its 60-foot (18.2 metre) articulated buses have been replaced with 40-foot (12.2 metre) buses as they have better traction in snowy conditions.

"Customers should anticipate longer waits and more crowded trains/platforms," it said around 11:00 a.m. PT.

Highways

DriveBC has no advisories on conditions in Metro Vancouver or the Fraser Valley, but is warning of compact snow and slippery driving conditions in the Kamloops area, including on Highway 5 and Highway 97C.

Environment Canada says the snow may reduce visibility and is urging drivers to be cautious.

The northbound lanes of the Coquihalla Highway were closed about 25 kilometres north of Hope Friday morning, but have since reopened.

Avalanches

Avalanche Canada issued a warning Thursday for the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island that remains in effect through the weekend.

In a statement, it said certain layers of the snowpack in those areas are weak and the snowfall Friday could lead to "deadly" avalanches.

This week alone, a 39-year-old Surrey snowshoer was killed in an avalanche on the North Shore and a 42-year-old snowboarder from Australia was killed in an avalanche at the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort Thursday.