A severe and spectacular storm disrupted operations at Vancouver International Airport—leaving people on dozens of flights stuck on the tarmac until early Sunday morning.
The intense 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.
A spokesperson for YVR said the airport was under a “red alert” which meant “nobody (was) working airside as it’s unsafe with the threat of lightning.” Because ground crews were unable to get planes to the gates, a total of 39 aircraft were waiting when the alert was lifted at 2:55 a.m.
The storm also caused flooding inside the terminal, which did not impact operations.
Anyone with a flight Sunday was urged to check its status amid ongoing delays and cancellations.
“Although the weather has improved, some flights continue to be impacted,” a statement from the airport said.
No storm-related weather warnings were in effect for the region Sunday morning, but Environment and Climate Change Canada did post an update online.
“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,” the agency said.
“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.
Social media was flooded with images and video of the storm.
