Sudden snowfall snarls traffic in parts of Metro Vancouver

Heavy snow hit Metro Vancouver on Thursday just before the afternoon commute, leading to delays, collisions, skidding and spin-outs on some major routes.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services asked people not to drive unless absolutely necessary, especially on hills, writing on social media that firefighters were dealing with several vehicle incidents. As of about 4:45 p.m. PT, the fire rescue service said about 30 vehicles had crashed in the city.

The Transportation Ministry said it was forced to close the southbound counterflow lane of the George Massey Tunnel in Richmond just before 5 p.m. because of "extremely slippery conditions" that had caused multiple vehicles to struggle with their traction.

In North Vancouver, a transit bus lost traction in the snow on Highway 1 at Mountain Highway at about 3 p.m., blocking most westbound traffic, according to DriveBC.

Within about 30 minutes, the bus and other spun-out vehicles had been moved to the right lane to allow two lanes of traffic through.

Meanwhile, TransLink was reporting detours and delays on a number of bus routes, as well as SkyTrain's Millennium Line, because of the weather.

Environment Canada said two centimetres of snow had been recorded at Vancouver International Airport as of 4 p.m., but the worst of the snowstorm was over.

The City of North Vancouver said it had four trucks out salting the roads, plus one focusing on cycling routes, and crews would be working through the night to clear the roads.

The flurries forced the city to close the 19th Street hill, but a spokesperson said it would likely be reopened by later in the evening.

WATCH | Snow causes trouble for bus in Vancouver:

Vancouver bus stuck on sidewalk as snow hits Lower Mainland

2 hours ago

Duration 0:10

The back half of a bus was spotted stuck on a sidewalk on Jan. 11 as snow hit the Lower Mainland, causing delays for commuters.