Following a day filled with a messy mix of snow and freezing rain, much of Metro Vancouver experienced warmer temperatures with non-stop rainfall Saturday.
Several drivers took to social media, posting videos of vehicles driving through dangerously high-water-filled roadways.
“Heavy rainfall, warming temperatures, all that moisture from the snow plus the added rainfall, that’s all going to be going somewhere,” said Bobby Sekhon, a meteorologist with Environment Canada.
“We need the drains to be open so that there’s a clear path for the water to go, otherwise you can get urban flooding.”
“Driving around, what I hit was the water puddles,” said Langley resident Jeromy Bouvier, as he waited for roadside assistance.
“So I called BCAA and they said five hours.”
Fortunately for Bouvier, the BCAA contractor arrived much faster, telling CTV News today was one of his busiest days of the year.
“The problem is, right now, no one is slowing down seeing the puddle. The puddles are really deep,” said the contractor.
The poor conditions forced crews to shutdown roads and several exits along Highway 1.
“So we have a combination of heavy snow in certain sections, especially where our drainage, our catch basins, our appliances that help to manage those flows,” said Ashok Bhatti, the Transportation Ministry’s executive director of the south coast.
“Our contractors have been working to free those up as quickly possible. Drivers can expect, in low-lying areas, some localized flooding.”
The province is still warning the public to avoid non-essential travel.
“Definitely until the rain ceases, we’re still going to see some challenges across Metro Vancouver and the rest of the Lower Mainland,” said Bhatti.
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