Fraser Valley weather the worst veteran CBC cameraman has ever seen

Jacy Schindel has been a field camera operator at CBC News for 10 years and having grownup in B.C.'s Kootenay mountains, he's seen his share of winter weather.

But he's never seen anything like the freezing rain storm that swept through the Fraser Valley Wednesday night.

"It's worse weather than I think I've almost ever seen," Schindel said.

Schindel drove from Vancouver to Abbotsford Thursday morning to cover the storm for CBC.

On the way, he passed fallen trees and power lines, abandoned cars, and a charter bus in the median of Highway 1.

"Everything out here is covered in a layer of ice, I'd say anywhere from two to four centimetres thick," he said.

"I was out shooting some downed power lines, and you could just hear the sound of breaking trees everywhere around you."

Rain to continue through the weekend

Environment Canada initially issued a winter storm warning for the region on Wednesday, warning of the possibility of freezing rain as temperatures increased overnight.

That warning has now been changed to a rainfall warning, with Environment Canada calling for up to 20 millimetres of rain in Metro Vancouver.

Schindel says increasing wind is starting to compound the problem.

"It's just a driving rain with the wind and it's coating everything," he said. "My lens, my glasses everything."

Environment Canada expects the rain to continue at least through Saturday.

Though most major highways in the area remain open, Environment Canada is recommending that non-essential travel be avoided if possible.