Ferry sailings cancelled with rain, snow and strong winds slamming parts of B.C.

B.C. Ferries has cancelled several sailings between the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island dueto severe weather Friday.

Winter storm, snowfall and wind warnings are in effect across coastal and southern British Columbia, including areas affected by flooding last month.

"The safety of our passengers and crew is of primary importance to us. We don't take the decision to cancel sailings lightly, as we know customers rely on us to get to their destinations," said BC Ferries in a statement.

"We will resume service as soon as it is safe to do so."

Environment Canada says rain in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley would intensify Friday night before easing, with up to 60 millimetres expected along with strong winds.

The cancelled ferry sailings were mostly scheduled for 7 p.m. PT onward and, as of 5:30 p.m.,include routesbetween:

• TsawwassenandSwartz Bay.
• TsawwassenandDuke Point.
• Horseshoe Bay andDeparture Bay.
• Horseshoe Bay and Langdale.
• Powell River and Comox.
• Powell River and Texada Island.
• Quadra Island and Cortes Island.

B.C. Ferries also said more sailings could be impacted throughout the evening

A full, updated list of cancellations is on B.C. Ferries' website.

Snow forecastforFraser Valley

Further out the valley, from Hope to Princeton and along the Coquihalla, the weather agencypredicts snow with accumulations of as much as 30 centimetres, while up to 20 centimetres is expected to fall through to Saturday in the Sea to Sky region.

In the southeast, 20 to 30 centimetres of snow is expected along Highway 3 through to the Elk Valley, and up to 25 centimetres is predicted across inland sections of the North Coast, including Stewart and Terrace.

Winter driving conditions are also expected on the Sea-to-Sky Highway. Snowfall is forecastto begin in this area later Friday morning, becoming heavier into the evening.

Squamish and Whistler could see 20 centimetres of snow at low levels, with triple that amount in the alpine, according to CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe.

Environment Canada is also callingfor heavy rain and "very strong'' southwesterly winds with gusts of up to 110 km/h for the west and north coasts of Vancouver Island and the Central Coast.

Greater Victoria, central and eastern sections of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands could also see wind speeds up to 60 km/h with gusts of up to 90.

The B.C. government issued a warning Thursday saying "severe winter weather'' could bring significant rain, snow and heightened avalanche risks.

A warning is also in effect for Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton, where 20 to 30 centimetres of snow is expected to fall between Friday and Saturday.

Highway 3 is open only to essential travel and is the main link between the Lower Mainland and Interior as repairs to other routes continue.

The Coquihalla remains closed after severe flooding and landslides last month, although Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said Thursday it could reopen to commercial traffic by early January.