April showers bring ... snow

A record-breaking snowstorm overnight stunned most of Southern B.C. on Saturday morning.

Vancouver International Airport recorded 2 centimetres of snow, the latest-ever snowfall in the month of April. The previous record was 3.8 centimetres on April 12, 1987.

The Port Mann Bridge in the Lower Mainland was closed as a result of icy conditions and multiple accidents.

Heavy snow closed the Coquihalla Highway for about seven hours overnight in the interior of B.C. Visibility was poor and the highway was slick with ice, while dozens of cars and trucks ended up in the ditch. Many motorists waited hours for help in the middle of the night.

Victoria saw 6.4 centimetres of snow, the most snow for any day in the month of April. The previous record was 5.1 centimetres in 1955.

But Nanaimo got the worst of the province's weather -- 24 centimetres of snow, the most day for any day in April. The previous record was set on April 12, 1981, with 4.6 centimetres. As many as 20,000 homes and businesses in the area were without power on Saturday morning.

In the Okanagan, Hank Markgraf of the Okanagan Tree Fruit Company said spring snow is a concern for fruit growers.

"We're looking right now to have some damage down south in the Osooyoos area, where our apricots and peaches and cherries are in bloom or close to bloom. We suspect there could be some damage there tomorrow."

Kelowna fruit growers say if the temperature drops down to minus five overnight, as the forecast predicts, delicate apple and pear buds could also be damaged.