News

A chaotic weather week for B.C. isn't over yet.

As much as 30 centimetres of snow is forecast to hit the interior of the province while lesser but still significant amounts are falling elsewhere.

Dozens of flights out of the Vancouver International Airport to Calgary, Edmonton and provincial destinations have again been cancelled or delayed after a week that saw thousands stranded by similar weather.

“This has been a very unprecedented winter weather for Vancouver,” said Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for Air Canada.

“One day this week we used as much de-icing fluid cleaning our aircraft than we would normally use in a half a winter.”

Airport spokeswoman Rebecca Catley said crews are keeping runways clean and operational, though Mr. Fitzpatrick said some of the delays on Friday were due to airport equipment not working properly in the cold.

Throughout the Vancouver area, there have also more reports of store awnings collapsing under the weight of heavy snow — one store in Coquitlam, B.C. was closed and evacuated after its glass-encased canopy collapsed.

“At this point it is just a temporary closure until we can get a report from a structural engineer,” Coquitlam Fire Chief Tony Delmonico told radio station News1130.

“They should be able to look at getting some of the snow off the building to relieve some of the pressure.”

Public transit problems were also being made worse by heavy crowds at stations near shopping malls and delays are being reported through the system.

But Boxing Day crowds were smaller than usual in Vancouver's downtown core, some retailers said.

Power outages are spreading across the province with just over 5,000 customers sitting without power Friday afternoon.

The heavy snow is expected to be followed by rain, raising fears of flooding.

The conditions are also perfect for avalanches.

Two skiers were rescued from Mount Seymour north of Vancouver late Thursday after being caught in an avalanche on Christmas Eve.

Search and rescue teams also plucked another man off the mountain after he became lost.

The Canadian Avalanche Centre says heavy snow has overwhelmed the snow pack and with more forecast to fall, it's issued a special warning for the weekend.

Forecaster James Floyer says avalanches may plague the south coast and north shore regions into the new year as weak layers get buried under new snow.