City Of Vancouver Is Shutting Down Over Today's "Bitterly Cold" Snowstorm
This week has been unusual when it comes to the weather in Vancouver. It began with the first real snowfall of winter and has since made a bleak turn to extreme weather warnings. As a result of the extreme weather conditions, much of the city's operations including schools, transit, and roads have closed. The Vancouver storm closures will impact the daily routine of most individuals and the B.C. Government is even advising that residents stay home unless they have no choice but to venture out.
This morning, the Vancouver School Board released an alert that all schools in the district will be closed today, January 15, 2020. The city’s universities are also shutting down as a result of the storm.
The University of British Columbia announced on Twitter that its classes will be cancelled but that campus will remain open. If you’re aching to hit the library and a snowstorm isn’t about to stop you, you’re in luck.
Simon Fraser University tweeted that it has closed its campuses in Surrey and Burnaby “due to current weather conditions.”
Beyond the schools, you better bet that your commute will be impacted, too.
TransLink BC has been tweeting out alerts all morning including detour announcements, station closures, route cancellations, and delays.
In an email to Narcity, TransLink stated, "Due to heavy snowfall, there will be significantly slower service on the transit system today. Because of persistent snow, high winds, and cold temperatures causing poor road conditions, please avoid all but essential travel."
They noted that following along on their Twitter page is a commuter's best bet.
The City of Vancouver has also issued some notices regarding the weather and its impact on everyday operations. For example, they explained this morning that garbage and Green Bin collection will be cancelled as well as recycling collection.
If you're driving, you might want to reconsider. The City's snow removal will be focusing on priority areas today and has shut down some hills for safety reasons.
Basically, today is going to be a total nightmare in and around the city and it's probably in your best interest to stay home.
According to Environment Canada, the snowfall warning ended this morning around 8:30 a.m., though the snow is still on the ground for us to deal with and the wind warnings persist.
This week, Vancouver might even get colder than Toronto and it is said to be the lowest temperatures in over a century.
There is a lot of panic, lateness, and frustration happening today so try your best to keep calm and kind while everyone works together to try and live their best lives.
If you're feeling really blue about the weather, just think of poor old Alberta today and the -40 C temperatures they're enduring. See? It could be much worse.