Snow turning to rain in parts of the Lower Mainland

LOWER MAINLAND (NEWS1130) – It was another day of chaos on the roads as the Lower Mainland dealt with back-to-back days of snow, freezing rain, and sleet.

We’ve received many photos of snow around the region via Twitter to @News1130Radio.

In downtown Vancouver, the snow was mixed with rain.

News1130 will continue with full coverage on-air and online of how the weather will affect your commute, as well as any school closures as a result of the snow.

Meteorologist Russ Lacate is keeping us updated with the latest forecast.

“The side streets are getting more of it right now because the crews got a really nice head start last night with all the salting and sanding, that’s made a huge difference. We have the snow falling and most of the main roads appear to be wet. That’s great news,” Lacate says.

“I’m expecting that it’ll all change to rain in Metro Vancouver. We’re probably still talking about snow falling in Mission, Chilliwack, and all the eastern regions of the Fraser Valley,” he explains.

An ugly morning commute

News1130’s Jesse Johnston drove around the city, giving a first-hand account on road conditions. He says there was a consistent, ugly mix of rain and snow. “The fear is that it’ll turn into snow later on, making for a nasty drive into work. Bad roads are also a big concern with temperatures hovering right around that zero mark. So far, it’s just wet and my tires haven’t been spinning at all.”

“It’s when you get off on the side streets that things start to turn nasty. I pulled off of Oak onto 53rd Avenue and there are at least a few centimetres on the road here,” Johnston describes. “As far as Vancouver goes, it seems the further south you get, the worse it is.”

We’ve been hearing a lot about trucks jack-knifing and getting stuck on the snowy streets and hills.

Geoff Godding is a trucker who called us this morning to explain it’s all about keeping moving. “I’m pulling a trailer that’s all dead weight, as long as your rolling, and I’ve got my inter-axel locks, so I’ve locked all the wheels together, I have my snow tires on, but it’s just sheer ice.”

Geoff also warns other drivers not to pull up too close behind a semi on snowy roads, because the truck has to roll back a bit to get going again.

News1130’s Sonia Aslam spent the morning riding the SkyTrain and buses. “I rode the B-Line down the Roberts Corridor and that was really rough, things are really backed up.” Aslam says she waiting for the bus at Broadway and Commercial with almost 100 other people. “People are pushing and shoving to get on, they are desperate to get on a bus, you can tell.”

For up to the minute traffic updates, you can follow us on Twitter @News1130Traffic and @News1130Weather or subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox. You can also listen live to traffic reports every 10 minutes on the ones.