An Air Canada aircraft is de-iced at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. A major winter storm bearing down on Toronto is adding to the calamity in Canadian airports already plagued by flight cancellations and delays set off early this week by heavy snow in Vancouver.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
TORONTO – A weather system of heavy snow and bitter cold that paralyzed Vancouver’s airport and caused a countrywide cascade of disruptions this week could lift by Christmas Eve – but travellers will first have to endure more storms in southern B.C. and Ontario.
Officials at YVR are still dealing with cancellations, delays and congestion as they prepare for a fresh blast of snow Thursday night, while Toronto’s Pearson International Airport is bracing for an incoming storm.
It’s a fresh blow to travellers across the country who have been struggling to return to loved ones in time for Christmas.
Louie Madlang has slept the past three nights on the floor at Vancouver International Airport as he tries to return home to Lloydminster, Sask., where his teenage son is waiting. He’s been stuck at the airport since arriving Monday on a flight from the Philippines, and his connection was cancelled.
Madlang, travelling with his wife and two-year-old daughter and his adult nephew’s family, said he’s now hoping to get a flight to Edmonton on Christmas Eve, then drive five hours home.
“We can’t shower and we tried to book the nearby hotels and they are all booked. We slept on floors or sometimes walked around in the airport for hours until (we) felt tired. As adults, we can handle that, but the most difficult is the kids,” said Madlang.
Toronto resident Emily Levict, returning from a trip to Australia with her brother and a friend, was also stuck in Vancouver after their flight home Thursday was cancelled.
The group has been scrambling to find a way home, with the siblings now booked on separate flights back to Toronto.
But Levict was not confident as she queued to find out more details about the rescheduling.
“Maybe we will make Christmas Day, but we will definitely miss Christmas Eve,” she said.
In the meantime, more bad weather is heading for Ontario.
Rain starting Thursday night in Toronto will shift to flurries as a cold front moves in, said Peter Kimbell, an Ontario-based warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.
The front will rapidly push the mercury below freezing and bring strong southwesterly winds, creating messy conditions for Christmas travel. Roads will be icy and blowing snow will cause poor visibility, Kimbell said.
Just two to four centimetres of snow is projected in Toronto, but the strong winds will be the key factor for travellers throughout southern Ontario, he said.
Ottawa is expecting potential accumulation of 15 centimetres of snow Thursday night before precipitation shifts to “slush” and freezing temperatures return later Friday, Kimbell said.
The same projections apply for Montreal, he said.
Cold temperatures, strong winds and flurries are expected to continue Saturday, gradually decreasing in intensity before easing further on Monday, he said.
The incoming storms are expected to add to the calamity created by earlier weather-related delays and cancellations at airports in B.C. and Alberta.
An update from Vancouver International Airport said conditions had improved slightly as flights were “steadily arriving and departing” Thursday, but officials were still advising travellers to check with their airline for the latest flight information.
The airport was also maintaining its halt to all incoming international arrivals until Friday morning so it could clear the congestion on the tarmac.
Officials at YVR said they’re doing everything they can to prepare for more severe weather starting late Thursday, including an estimated 10 centimetres of snow.
That could be followed by freezing rain and then, as icy temperatures ease, 10 or more millimetres of rain on Saturday.
Environment Canada predicts temperatures at the airport will spike to 8 C on Saturday, after dipping to -12.9 C on Wednesday.
“Passengers should expect delays and cancellations as a result of the incoming weather system,” airport officials said in their latest statement.
Difficulties linked to Tuesday’s storm remain an issue at Victoria International Airport as a post from the International Civil Aviation Organization said two runways were still closed due to snow.
Hundreds of Air Canada and WestJet flights have been grounded since Sunday because of the conditions.
The latest update from WestJet says nearly 80 flights had so far been cancelled Thursday, and the incoming weather in Metro Vancouver is expected to result in more cancellations. A further 83 flights that had been scheduled for Friday have been cancelled, a number the airline says will likely increase.
A statement from Air Canada said just over 88 per cent of planned flights went ahead Wednesday. With more severe weather in the forecast, affecting airports across Canada, the airline said it has a “flexible rebooking policy” in place, offering passengers the option to reschedule or receive a travel voucher.
The winter storm forecast for Ontario also prompted the postponement of the Ottawa Senators’ game Friday night against the Detroit Red Wings.
Anthony LeBlanc, the Senators’ president of business operations, said in a statement the safety of “players, fans, staff and those working at the arena is our first priority.”
The game has been rescheduled to Monday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. ET.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2022.
