Vancouver flights: How California weather may impact YVR

Travelers should check flight details with YVR online or with their airline prior to arrival.

Travelers departing from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) should always check the weather at their destination before heading to the airport — but they should be extra vigilant now.

Environment Canada has issued a wind warning for Metro Vancouver calling for strong winds with gusts of up to 70 to 80 km/h on Thursday night (January 5). But some severe winter storms hitting North America could affect flights in Vancouver in the coming days.

A satellite depiction of a storm system moving from the Pacific Ocean toward the California coast should stop air travelers.

Air Mass RGB imagery from @NOAASatellites #GOES17/#GOESwest showed the hurricane force low moving toward the US West Coast: https://t.co/dXQ8PAyXC0 pic.twitter.com/mRsnlaRLJj

— UW-Madison CIMSS (@UWCIMSS) January 4, 2023

On Thursday, a violent storm unleashed “high winds and torrential rain” across the state, resulting in massive flooding and mudslides, the death of one child and more than 100,000 homes and businesses without power, according to The Weather Network.

On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, and state officials “urged Californians to avoid travel during the storm.”

As of this writing, over 60 flights have been canceled at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in the past 24 hours, according to international flight tracker FlightAware.

Travelers should check Vancouver flight schedules before traveling to YVR

SFO has advised air travelers to sign up for their airline’s flight alerts to be notified of delays or cancellations before heading to the airport and to allow extra time for their journey.

While local weather south of the border hasn’t caused any significant delays, YVR experienced some flight delays Wednesday night due to California weather, spokeswoman Shruti Ashok told Vancouver Is Awesome.

“Operations at YVR are normal at the moment,” she explained, adding that the airport will continue to monitor evolving weather conditions.

Travelers should check online at the airport or with their airline for flight details prior to arrival, especially if flying to California.

YVR expects over 63,000 passengers on Thursday and is operating at over 99 percent of its planned schedule with 605 flights and just three cancellations.