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Winter walloped Vancouver on the official start of the snowy season Sunday – and it was the same story across the country as Canada approaches its first coast-to-coast white Christmas in almost four decades.

Snow piled up in Vancouver, slowing down traffic and pedestrians.

Several roads on the city's major hills had been barricaded after Vancouver Police declared them unsafe to drive on. TransLink, the regional transit authority, said it would run empty SkyTrain cars through the night to make sure the tracks were clear of snow for this morning's rush hour.

“People are a lot calmer,” said Anne Leckie, of how the snow has slowed down the pace of life in the city.

Holding an umbrella as wet fat flakes fell, she joked: “I'm from the Yukon, this is not that big of a deal.”

Indeed, the town of Watson Lake in Yukon was the coldest place in Canada with a low of -45C.

West of Calgary Sunday, at Lake Louise Ski Area, the -35 temperatures forced the closing of ski lifts, which has occurred intermittently over the past week.

A 63-year-old man in Coquitlam, B.C., was found dead in his van Sunday afternoon. RCMP Corporal Brenda Gresiuk said foul play was ruled out, but added that it's too early in the investigation to tell if weather played a factor in the man's death. He lived in his van and was found in a park area.

Vancouver had a cold day, relatively speaking, on Saturday, as the mercury fell to -15.2, the coldest since the late 1960s. The cold may have played a part in the death of 87-year-old Etorina Bassani in Abbotsford, an hour east of Vancouver. Her body was found Saturday afternoon in her driveway. She is believed to have fallen and hit her head.

Various weather warnings were issued for many regions across the country. In the Maritimes, Environment Canada issued winter storm warnings for southern and eastern New Brunswick and much of Prince Edward Island, while a snowfall warning covered parts of Nova Scotia, with between 15 and 25 centimetres expected in northern areas and the Annapolis Valley.

Vancouver dealt with snow, Halifax was whipped by wind and there was a triple warning for Quebec City – snowfall, blowing snow and wind – as the storm that hit Ontario on Friday moved into Quebec. The blowing snow caused whiteouts on highways throughout Quebec, as well as in Southwestern Ontario.

Inclement weather snarled airports throughout the weekend.

Chima Nkemdirim, heading home to Calgary from New York, was stuck at the Newark Airport in New Jersey. His flight to Toronto was cancelled and he was hoping to get to Chicago last night.

“It's winter, what can you do?” Mr. Nkemdirim said. “I've got my laptop and some movies, I'm sitting, chilling.”

At the Vancouver airport, more than 50 flights were cancelled Sunday and flights that did take off were mostly delayed. The situation was similar at Toronto's Pearson International, Canada's busiest airport, though fewer flights were cancelled.

The arrivals and departures board at Halifax Stanfield International airport was awash in red and yellow early Monday outlining flight cancellations and delays.

The Fredericton Airport, which was reporting at least 30 centimetres of snow on the ground, announced that all flights would be cancelled until at least 9 a.m. AT.

Vancouver is certain to have its first white Christmas since 1998, when there was 20 centimetres on the ground. The temperature is predicted at or below zero through the week.

A white Christmas in Vancouver happens about once a decade and John McIntyre, an Environment Canada meteorologist in the city, said British Columbia's Lower Mainland could have a “perfect Christmas,” which the government weather agency defines as snow on the ground and snow falling.

It also looks like Canada will have its first coast-to-coast white Christmas since 1971. Vancouver is generally without snow and on the years it has it, other areas such as Southern Ontario aren't under the cold blanket.

“It's a white Christmas, everywhere,” said André Cantin, an Environment Canada meteorologist in Quebec City.

With reports from Dawn Walton in Calgary, Rhéal Séguin in Quebec City and The Canadian Press