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Friday’s hairy weather has wreaked havoc in the Fraser Valley, leaving many without power.
Saturday morning, BC Hydro reports more than 27,000 customers between Langley and Hope are still without power after freezing rain, snow and ice caused damage to the region’s electrical infrastructure. (At one point on Friday, that total was more than 100,000.)
BC Hydro says they’re making “steady progress” and have called crews in from around the province to assist.
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Additional crews are arriving this morning to assist with restoration efforts. We'll continue to provide updates as crews arrive and conduct damage assessments and begin repairs, including large substation outages in #Abbotsford affecting a large number of customers.
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Conditions are still hazardous in the #FraserValley, including some areas with fallen trees and trees on our lines. Remember: down, danger, dial. Stay 10 metres back from fallen lines or trees on lines and call 911. pic.twitter.com/uBwCcFz5xg
Many roads in #Abbotsford are blocked and/or closed. Crews are working to clear roads and restore services. More updates are available at https://t.co/t2A3BHBn2E. Please drive with caution if you have to be on the roads. #BCStorm
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Chilliwack resident Anne Russell told Postmedia she was sitting in her living room when the night sky was flooded with a blue-green light. A rumble of thunder followed. There was a second flash a few minutes later.
“At first we thought it was a transformer blowing,” she said. “But thanks to social media we learned about thundersnow.” About a dozen other people reported seeing the strange flashes as the snow fell in Chilliwack on Friday night.
Many vehicles were encased in ice when the sun came up, though warmer temperatures forecast for Saturday was expected to help clear out the freeze, which came in the wake of a storm that began on Wednesday with heavy snow, then switched for a time to freezing rain and then back to snow last night.
While the sun began shining in Vancouver and other western areas of the Lower Mainland mid-morning, the skies over the eastern Fraser Valley remained cloudy.
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Several roads were closed by fallen trees and power lines, and police advised people to stay home and check on vulnerable neighbours.
In Mission, more than a dozen people were evacuated due to downed wires and broken water mains.
On Saturday morning in Harrison Mills, Trish Leach was watching the snow fall as she drank a cup of hot coffee at a neighbour’s kitchen table.
After a long night without power, the temperature inside her house had dropped to -9. Her neighbourhood — on Highway 7 between Mission and Agassiz — doesn’t have gas service, so everything is powered by electricity, including light, heat and hot water.
“I’ll probably empty the fridge contents onto the balcony to keep it cool,” she said. “We really have no idea when the power will be back on.”
Leach said there was about three feet of snow outside, making it impossible to get her car out of the driveway.
In Chilliwack, Anne Russell was happy for a 700-page novel and a jigsaw puzzle to keep her busy. The communications coordinator for the University of the Fraser Valley was grateful the storm happened when the university was closed for winter break.
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Chilliwack has been under winter’s siege since Wednesday when the snow began falling. The next day, a mix of freezing rain and snow coated everything in ice. More snow fell Friday and Saturday morning.
Overnight, a rare weather phenomenon called “thundersnow” — when thunder and lightning occur during a snowstorm, as opposed to rain — lit up the skies.
Highways to interior re-open
People hoping to travel between the coast and the interior of the province had to cool their jets for much of Saturday morning, as two highways were closed for avalanche assessments and travel was not recommended on a third.
Friday night, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure issued a travel advisory for roads east of Hope because of limited visibility caused by heavy snowfall and blowing snow.
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Saturday morning, both Highway 3 and Highway 1 were closed east of Hope to travel in both directions while crews assessed the stability of snow packs above the roads.
As of 11 a.m., both highways have re-opened to travel.
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Furthermore, 35 centimetres of snow has fallen at the Coquihalla Summit. Combined with strong winds, officials are warning against travel on Highway 5, though the high mountain road does remain open.
Snow also fell in many other areas of the South Coast, including the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
Recap: 10 cm down on the beach in #CampbellRiver and parts of E. Island...heavy snow for the Sunshine Coast. Ice Storm in the Fraser Valley accompanied by thunder and lightning...temperatures in the low teen's just to our south in Puget Sound.
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Drivers using the Sea to Sky Highway between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish were reporting that crews were doing a good job plowing the road.
On the Sea to Sky Road Conditions Facebook page, users were reporting that there was still a good amount of snow north of Porteau Cove towards Squamish, but it was compact and as long as people drove with caution, traffic was moving well.
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Ugly conditions south of the border too
A look at The Guide (SR 539) about an hour ago. Heavy ice still present in many areas of #Whatcom County today. Be aware & cautious if heading out and if your errands can wait a day, let them wait! pic.twitter.com/BEO6CZZJU6
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In Vancouver the city announced that the following Warming Centres would open Saturday evening on December 30:
Britannia Community Centre – 1739 Venables Street(Hours: 9pm-8:30am) Carnegie Community Centre – 401 Main Street(Hours: 11:15pm – 7am) West End Community Centre – 870 Denman Street(Hours: 11pm – 7am)
The following Warming Centres will be open on December 31, 2017 :
Carnegie Community Centre – 401 Main Street(Hours: 11:15pm – 7am) West End Community Centre – 870 Denman Street(Hours: 11pm – 7am)
They also issued a list of temporary winter shelter beds that can be found on the city’s website
Officials in northwestern Washington were telling people to stay inside as an ice storm struck the region Friday afternoon and evening.
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Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.