Police and municipal works crews were still busy mopping up Tuesday evening after an unexpected dump of snow hit the North Shore in the morning.
Snow had initially been predicted to start later at high elevations, but by 9 a.m. was already falling heavily across the North Shore, said Matt MacDonald, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.
“Temperatures remained a lot lower than we were anticipating,” said MacDonald.
Up to 14 centimetres of snow had fallen in upper reaches of residential areas by mid afternoon. It was still snowing in higher elevations as the evening rush hour began, but at lower elevations, the snow was turning to rain.
“The worst of it is done,” said MacDonald, adding it’s possible parts of the North Shore might see an additional centimetre or two before morning.
The snowfall kept municipal snow plows busy throughout the day.
In the District of North Vancouver, 11 plows and salting trucks were out Tuesday afternoon. “That’s almost our entire fleet,” said Mari Wellman, communications manager for the municipality. By late afternoon, main routes were 60 per cent clear while secondary routes were 30 per cent clear, she said.
Crews will continue to work through the night on Tuesday, she added.
The situation was similar in West Vancouver, where sports fields were closed, as was the top of 22nd street, due to treacherous conditions.
Crews were focusing on clearing main roads and bus routes, said spokeswoman Donna Powers.
“We’ve even got parks staff out shovelling by hand,” she added.
Tuesday’s snowfall also turned out the lights on approximately 2,623 North Shore residents.
Two power outages stretched from Sentinel Hill in West Vancouver down to Xwemelch’stn, the Capilano 5 Reserve and over to Marine Drive and Fell Avenue in North Vancouver. The lights stayed on in a small sliver between Marine Drive and Highway 1, leaving Phillip Avenue bright.
A smaller power outage also hit the 600 block of East Fourth Street, affecting six customers on Fourth and Fifth streets.
There were fender benders along Lonsdale Avenue as drivers struggled to reacquaint themselves with snowy, slippery roads, according to North Vancouver RCMP spokesman Corp. Richard De Jong.
“You need to adjust your speed,” he emphasized. “You’re not going to have the traction, you’re not going to be able to stop as quickly as you used to.”
MacDonald said the weather will change by Wednesday to crisp and clear conditions. Motorists should be wary of black ice developing overnight, he warned. But those hoping for a white Christmas – either on or off the slopes – have reason to be happy.
“If you picked up three to five centimetres (of snow) today you’ve got really good chances of a white Christmas,” he said, as cool temperatures will keep the snow on the ground.
Conditions should be good on the North Shore ski hills over Christmas, he added. “It’s going to stay sunny and cold until the end of 2017.”
