Chilliwack and Abbotsford blanketed in first snowfall of the season

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack and Abbotsford recorded their first significant snowfalls of the season as a Pacific frontal system crossed into B.C. on Saturday (Dec. 9).

Environment Canada recorded snowfall accumulations of 2 to 6 cm in Abbotsford over the day while the Chilliwack area was hit with 5 cm. Coquitlam and Burnaby also recorded snowfall amounts of up to 5 cm.

The storm also delivered widespread snow across B.C. Saturday, from 20 cm in the North Coast community of Rosswood to 9 cm at the Salmon Arm Airport in the Shuswap.

The storm made for rough waters off the coast and led BC Ferries to cancel several sailings on major routes. The only route between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island that operated as scheduled was Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay. An Environment Canada weather station on Sartine Island, off the northern tip of Vancouver Island, recorded wind gusts of up to 176 km/h.