A severe and spectacular storm resulted in delays and cancellations at Vancouver International Airport—and would-be travellers are being urged to check their flight status Sunday. The storm grounded all departing flights between 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:55 a.m. Sunday, according to a statement from YVR. “Many arriving flights were unable to taxi to the gate once landed. This resulted in flight delays and some cancellations,” the statement said. “Although the weather has improved, some flights continue to be impacted today.” Anyone with a flight scheduled is urged to check its status before heading to the airport. “An upper-level trough crossed southern B.C. overnight. The trough brought unstable atmospheric conditions to the region, triggering numerous thunderstorms across southern B.C., “Environment and Climate Change Canada said in an online update. “These thunderstorms produced localized heavy downpours, resulting in heavy rain in some areas.” At the airport, the worst of the deluge came between 10 and 11 p.m. Saturday, during which 22.2 millimetres of precipitation were recorded, according to the weather agency. The B.C. Wildfire Service said there were more than 7,000 lightning strikes recorded Saturday—sparking new blazes across the southern part of the province. “Fortunately, many of the areas affected by lightning also received good precipitation, helping to decrease fire behaviour and the likelihood of new starts,” an online update Sunday said. Social media was flooded with images and video of the storm.
