Melting snow, rain leave Metro Vancouver streets flooded
Last Updated: Saturday, December 27, 2008 | 1:10 PM PT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
Video
- Deborah Goble reports: Rain, melting snow flood Metro Vancouver streets (Runs: 2:05)
- Play: QuickTime »
- Play: Real Media »
Weather
Roads
- Highway alerts
- Highway webcams
- Lions Gate Bridge
- Construction map
- Metro webcams
- Transit alerts
- B.C. Transit
Ferries
Borders
Airports
Drivers throughout Metro Vancouver were warned to drive carefully because of large puddles on the streets. (CBC) Mother Nature isn't letting up on B.C.'s south coast just yet. Heavy rain Friday night and Saturday morning, combined with melting snow, left streets flooded throughout Metro Vancouver.
Drivers were being warned about large puddles around Metro Vancouver as well as in areas of Port Moody, Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam.
City crews throughout the region were hard at work Saturday morning trying to clear the storm drains of snow in order to let the water through.
Jason Moore, one of 60 city workers in Vancouver on the go Saturday morning, said the drains could be tricky to find under the snow.
"You almost have to know where you're going," Moore said. "It's lucky we have sort of an idea where most of the drains are so we can find them a little easier. We probe down with a metal crowbar so we can actually find where the hole is."
Expect TransLink delays: spokesperson
Meanwhile, TransLink, which operates public transit for the south coast of B.C., said temperatures weren't warming as quickly as forecast, which caused some roads to re-freeze and created service delays in some areas.
Piles of snow blocked street drains throughout Metro Vancouver, leaving streets flooded. (CBC) Public transit riders in Metro Vancouver should expect delays Saturday, said TransLink spokesperson Ken Hardie, and should allow extra time to get to their destinations.
"It's been almost a full week that we've been in this snow mode and [bus drivers have] been going flat out and it's taking a human toll," Hardie said. "So just remember that and be patient and courteous to others on board and toward SkyTrain attendants and bus drivers because they're doing the best they can under most unusual circumstances."
Travel at Vancouver International Airport improved significantly Saturday after a week of delays and cancellations.
The accumulated snow was too heavy for the roof of this recycling depot in East Vancouver to bear. (CBC) Most flights were running as scheduled, with just a few cancellations by regional carriers to Victoria, Calgary and Edmonton.
Meanwhile, residents were urged Saturday to clear snow from patios and rooftops after roofs and awnings on some businesses collapsed,
Avalanche warning for south coast
The Canadian Avalanche Association issued a public avalanche warning to recreational backcountry users along the south coast of B.C. effective until Monday.
The warning applies to backcountry areas of the South Coast Mountains from north of Pemberton to the U.S. border and west of Lillooet and the Coquihalla Pass to the Pacific Coast. It also includes backcountry areas of the North Shore Mountains from Horseshoe Bay to Indian Arm.
Thousands left without power
The extreme winter weather conditions also wreaked havoc on the BC Hydro system throughout the south coast.
More than 12,000 customers were without power in areas in and around Vancouver and on the Sunshine Coast Saturday morning.
On Vancouver Island 1,000 people were without power and another 600 customers in the Okanagan-Kootenay region lost power as well.
BC Hydro estimated most customers would have power restored throughout the day Saturday.
Meanwhile, the forecast called for freezing rain in the Fraser Valley, and rain and heavy winds in Vancouver and Victoria.
In the Kootenays and in the Queen Charlotte Islands, Environment Canada issued snowfall warnings with five to 10 centimetres of snowfall expected Saturday.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim

