Uncovering Burnaby: Remembering the 1996 ‘Snowstorm of the Century’

As we recover from Tuesday’s giant dump of snow, we thought it would be fitting to look back at one of the biggest snowstorms to hit Burnaby and the rest of the Lower Mainland.

The blizzard of ’96 was also dubbed the “Storm of the Century” and saw just over 40cm of snowfall in the Lower Mainland on Dec. 29, 1996.

The entire region was paralyzed as roads, highways, businesses, transit, ferries, and even the airport came to a complete standstill.

Even hockey was cancelled as the Vancouver Canucks had to postpone their Sunday night game against the San Jose Sharks.

The conditions were so bad that BC’s attorney general at the time, Ujjal Dosanjh, called in the army to help clear roads and assist stranded motorists.

A December 1996 article published by The Province highlighted the plight of motorists and residents as they struggled with the unprecedented blast of winter.

“The wind was just howling. I was sitting in a Petro-Can station in the car and the wind just about lifted it,” Neil Gaurdeau of Chilliwack, told the publication at the time.

Victoria was hammered even harder by the storm, as a whopping 66cm of snow fell in the BC capital in just one day.

“But it was Vancouver that was least prepared,” stated an article published by the Ottawa Citizen.

“Precious few were armed appropriately for the battle with the snow. In the absence of snow scrapers, would-be drivers resorted to clearing their cars off with house brooms. Others shovelled walkways with gardening tools.”

In Burnaby, folks recalled the chaos they experienced, with some remembering the fun they had with their families playing in the snow, and others recalling the pains of trying to get back home.

Former Burnaby city councillor Colleen Jordan recalled her snowstorm experience to the Beacon, where she was lucky to escape the chaos just in the nick of time.

“The 29th was Sunday. So a group of us from our workplace, I think there was maybe 10 or 12 of us, had decided that we were going to go to…Reno for New Year’s Eve,” she said.

Jordan and one of her friends managed to get an early flight and landed in Reno without being impacted by the oncoming storm.

Unfortunately, the rest of their friends had a flight later that day, “and of course by then, the snow was piling up like you wouldn’t believe it,” said Jordan.

The remaining friends couldn’t return home to wait for the next flight because of the treacherous road conditions, so they stayed in a hotel by the airport.

But they didn’t make it to Reno until New Year’s Eve on Tuesday because YVR had run out of de-icer for planes.

“They made it so we had a good New Year’s Eve celebration,” she said.

But things weren’t smooth returning home, as Reno was impacted by severe flooding, which was known as the “most devastating flood the region had seen in nearly half a century.”

Jordan did make it home but a week later, when Air Canada sent emergency flights to bring stranded travellers back home.

Although this week’s snowstorm didn’t live up to what was seen in 1996, there were some parallels, especially with the chaotic scene at Vancouver International Airport, where hundreds of flights were cancelled and delayed leaving passengers stranded.

Ferries were also cancelled, and many local businesses shuttered their doors.

The BC Ministry of Transportation also sent an alert on Tuesday morning, warning residents to stay home and avoid the roads if possible.

Still, the Dec. 20, 2022 snowfall ranked as the eighth snowiest December day on record, with Dec. 29, 1996 still taking the top spot for the most snowfall (as recorded at YVR).

Metro Vancouver isn’t done with the extreme winter conditions just yet. Environment Canada has issued an arctic outflow warning for Metro Vancouver through Thursday, saying residents can expect wind chills of minus 25 to 20C along with strong winds.

More snow is also in the forecast for Thursday evening and some of Friday.