Heavy snow and extreme cold creates travel chaos across B.C.

An extreme cold is settling over parts of British Columbia's Lower Mainland on the heels of heavy snow that grounded flights, jammed roads and delayed ferries.

Environment Canada warns that bitterly cold temperatures and strong winds could make it feel between -20 C and -30 C in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

It says the cold mass carried by an arctic front is expected to hang around through Thursday.

Vancouver's airport says the winter weather caused an unprecedented number of cancelled flights on Tuesday, with only a small number of flights took off by the afternoon.

Drivers were encouraged to avoid non-essential travel and BC Ferries cancelled sailings on many routes.

Extreme has gripped much of Western and Central Canada, with weather warnings in effect for most of British Columbia and Alberta, as well as parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Yukon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2022.